2nd-half explosion gives Saints victory

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After a first half that had 1 touchdown, 6 punts and 2 interceptions, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees raised his game and let the inconsistent Saints hold onto playoff hopes.

Carolina's David Carr only got worse, amid the weight of boos in a sinking season for the Panthers.

Brees shook off a slow start to lead the Saints on three straight touchdown drives to start the third quarter. He threw for 260 yards and 3 TDs and ran for another score in the Saints' 31-6 win Sunday.

Marques Colston caught 7 passes for 93 yards and a TD for the Saints (5-6), who snapped a two-game losing streak and stayed in contention in the NFC South. They remained 2 games behind division-leading Tampa Bay ahead of next week's home game against the Buccaneers.

"It was a must win for us," said Brees, who completed 24 of 36 passes with 1 interception. "We talked at halftime and we knew that we had to do whatever it takes. You saw that coming out, 3 consecutive touchdowns."

The end zone was rumor for the Panthers (4-7), who lost their fifth straight and dropped to 0-5 at home in another mistake-filled performance that led Carr to be benched early in the fourth quarter.

"I know everyone wants to pin it on the quarterback," Panthers coach John Fox said. "I think it's fairly evident it's not just the quarterback. Right now we're just not a very good football team ... and the buck stops here."

Carr, getting the start after 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde was a late scratch with a sore back, threw 7 straight incompletions to start the game. He finished 10 of 22 for 95 yards and 2 interceptions. He was replaced by rookie Matt Moore after his second pick.

"We knew if we could go ahead and kind of disrupt Carr a little bit, he would make some bad decisions," Saints cornerback Jason Craft said.

Not that the Panthers had any running game, either. DeShaun Foster rushed 9 times for minus-5 yards and lost a fumble.