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* Saints defence saves the day - Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma and Co. take a bow

* Saints set franchise record with perfect 8 and 0 start

* This was football New Orleans Saints style - hard fought and never easy

Carolina Panthers 20 - New Orleans Saints 30

The Carolina Panthers rode into New Orleans Sunday with a win streak of 8 straight in the Super Dome and almost came away with yet another victory. But for some resolute defending and a couple of quick fire drives the Saints would have kissed goodbye to their 2009 perfect record and left wondering if they would ever beat the Panthers at home again.

Instead the Saints got the job done thanks to some impressive performances by a group of lesser known names to record a come from behind 30 to 20 win over the Panthers... but it was a tight run thing.

Gregg Williams works the problem

The Saints played some uncharacteristic football with penalties, turnovers and miscues littering their play and all but killing them at various stages of the game. That the Saints defence turned up with their A game helmets on whilst the normally explosive offence dozed through the first half owes as much to Gregg Williams aggressive play calling as anything else.

Whilst the D was culpable for the early DeAngelo Williams 66 yard touchdown run, thereafter they solidified the middle of the field and forced the Panthers into a number of 3rd and long situations which they failed to convert. Williams used a lot of blitz packages to unnerve Jake Delhomme on the few occasions he dropped back to pass. This ensured the Saints had an 8 or 9 man front to stop the repetitive Panthers running attack.

The Saints should be thankful for the telling contribution of back up Defensive Tackle Anthony Hargrove, filling in for the injured Sedrick Ellis, who soon found a way to plug holes whilst making a telling contribution with key tackles, a forced fumble and recovery for a touchdown. Along with more recognised starters Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma, Darren Sharper, Roman Harper, Tracy Porter, Jabari Greer et al, the Saints D once again showed that they are a vastly improved unit from years gone by with some great run pursuit and forced turnovers to keep the score competitive.

Brees, Colston and Co. stutter

That the Panthers were able to rack up such an impressive rushing total owes as much to the frequency with which the Saints offence gave up possession as it does to the Panthers conservative play calling. The failure of many key Saints O personnel to turn up for this game is at first worrying and in some ways comforting. If the Saints are able to pull out a win with a misfiring passing attack then it further demonstrates the total team package the Saints can call upon this season.

Amongst the more anonymous and downright sloppy were receiving stalwarts Jeremy Shockey and Marques Colston who had disappointing games by their standards. Speaking of which Drew Brees did not look his usual self assured best throwing a bad interception Colstons way as well as fumbling a bobbled snap in a key 3rd down on two drives in the red zone.

He still had the presence to pick out Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson for deep pass plays and use Reggie Bush in the flat on the way to racking up yet another 300+ yard game but this was far from his best. That fact alone is encouraging. If the Saints can pull out a win against a tough Panthers team with Brees, Colston and Shockey far from their A game then it bodes well for our championship prospects.

Pierre Thomas to the rescue

Some of the Saints early offensive play calling came back to haunt them as they looked to jump out to an early lead. Instead of establishing the running game head coach Sean Payton elected to throw from the offset. Whilst this was not an unreasonable strategy given the success the Saints have had so far this season it did leave them struggling to recapture the initiative when this tactic failed to deliver. It was only through the introduction of Pierre Thomas in a more central second half roll that the Saints were able to move the ball more freely and start to wear down the physical Panthers defence.

One drive in particular stood out with the Saints taking over possession at their own 2 yard line with 11.02 left on the clock. Payton employed a combination of inside running by Thomas and Mike Bell as well as dumping the ball to Reggie Bush and Thomas in the flat. 8 consecutive plays resulted from employing the trio and within 13 plays the Saints had marched all the way to the Panthers 16 before a dropped pass by Colston saw the Saints settling for a John Karney field goal for the go ahead score.

This was the balance of offence that had been so effective for the Saints all season but it took until well into the 4th Quarter to employ it.

Special praise should go to another unsung unit following this game; the Saints offensive line. They did a great job of protecting Drew Brees who, with the exception of an early forced fumble, had plenty of time to pick his targets. Honourable mention goes out to Jermon Bushrod who kept the mighty Julius Peppers quiet all night. Jermon Bushrod for the Pro Bowl; is that such an extravagant claim?

The DNA of Champions

To win and to win ugly is the mark of champions. This was not the best we have seen the Saints, far from it, but it did tell us a lot about the make up of the team and the depth of quality on the roster. When the A team were miscuing the Saints were able to call on some impressive performances by lesser known stars to get the job done. As Al Davis would say "Just Win Baby".

Peter Falconer is the author of the New Orleans Saints NFL blog, dedicated to all things New Orleans Saints. He sounds off about Saints players, displays everything from the latest Reggie Bush highlights videos to the roster, schedule, stories and more.

The end of the football season has arrived, and with it, one final chance to bask in the glory of a fantasy football championship. To help you navigate your team to the title, here is a look at the players involved.

Player 1

- Drew Brees: Brees has thrown six touchdowns without an interception in the postseason, and has averaged 222 passing yards per game. He faces a Colts defense that was 14th in the league against the pass, and 10th in passing scores allowed.

- Peyton Manning: Manning has been his usual highly impressive self in the playoffs, throwing for an average of 311.5 yards per game, with five touchdowns and one interception, numbers that are even more remarkable when you consider the fact that he faced the Jets and Ravens, who were first and seventh, respectively, in the league in pass defense this season. During the regular season, New Orleans was just 26th in the NFL in pass defense, though it should be noted they were third in the league in interceptions.

Player 2

- Joseph Addai: Addai hasn't been a big part of the Colts' offense during the team's playoff run, but that's mostly because he hasn't needed to be. He's rushed for only 107 yards on 27 carries in two games, and caught just four passes for 27 yards and hasn't scored a touchdown. The Saints were just 19th in the league against the run in the regular season, and allowed more touchdowns on the ground than all but three other squads.

- Pierre Thomas: Thomas has run the ball 27 times in New Orleans' two postseason victories, and racked up 113 yards and one touchdown. He's also caught six passes for 56 yards and one score, and though the Colts were 24th in run defense in the regular season, they also allowed fewer rushing scores than all but six other teams.

Player 3

- Marques Colston: Colston was New Orleans' leading receiver in the regular season, and he is tied with Devery Henderson for the team lead in receptions in the playoffs with eight. His 105 receiving yards are just under Henderson's total for the postseason, however, and his one touchdown also trails Henderson's two.

- Reggie Wayne: Wayne was magnificent most of the regular season, but he tailed off in the latter part of the year, and that has carried over to the postseason. Wayne's 11 catches and one touchdown are tied for second on the team, but his 118 receiving yards are third.

Player 4

- Reggie Bush: Bush has scored twice in the playoffs, once on a dazzling run against the Vikings, and one on a reception. For the postseason, he's run the ball 12 times for 92 yards, and caught six passes for 57 yards.

- Dallas Clark: Clark has 11 receptions in the postseason after snaring 100 in the regular season, and though he was second on the team with over 1,100 receiving yards during the regular season, his 94 so far in the playoffs is fourth on the team. He does have one touchdown catch, however.

Player 5

- Austin Collie: Collie leads the Colts with two touchdown grabs in the playoffs, and is second on the team in both catches with 11, and receiving yards, with 175. And despite the great play of Pierre Garcon during the playoffs, don't forget that Collie was third on the Colts in both receptions and touchdown catches in the regular season.

- Pierre Garcon: Garcon is having a fabulous postseason, leading Indianapolis in receptions, with 16, and receiving yards, with 185, while also scoring a touchdown. He may be having the best postseason of any individual player on either squad.

- Robert Meachem: Meachem has done little to establish himself in either of New Orleans' two playoff games, and has only two catches for 19 yards in the postseason. However, his nine touchdown catches in the regular season were good enough to tie him for the team lead with Marques Colston, and he's clearly a boom-or-bust player for this particular fantasy football contest.

Player 6

- Devery Henderson: Henderson has been the most productive Saints receiver so far in the playoffs, and is tied with Marques Colston for the team lead in receptions with eight. However, he leads New Orleans in receiving yards with 119, and touchdown catches, with two.

- Jeremy Shockey: Shockey is battling an injury - as usual - though he has been productive in the playoffs, catching four passes for 45 yards, and one touchdown reception. He will suit up for this game, but his health will likely have a big impact on how productive he will be.

- David Thomas: Thomas had taken advantage of his opportunity to play when Jeremy Shockey was injured in the regular season, and he has a chance to do that again in the Super Bowl. Thomas has caught three passes for 32 yards in New Orleans' two postseason contests, but if Shockey is not able to go all-out, Thomas could be in line for a good day.

Player 7

- Dwight Freeney: Freeney has torn ligaments in his ankle, and he's officially listed as questionable for the game. However, most believe he will attempt to play, though not nearly as much as usual, and maybe only on obvious passing downs.

- Robert Mathis: Mathis has not registered a sack in the postseason, but he was second on the Colts in the regular season with 9.5, and he also led the team with five forced fumbles to go with 37 tackles. However, keep in mind that if Freeney is limited, as expected, New Orleans may concentrate more on stopping Mathis with chip blocks and occasional double teams.

- Will Smith: Smith's 13.0 sacks during the regular season led all Saints players, and he also forced three fumbles and intercepted a pass to go with 49 tackles. He hasn't registered a sack so far in the playoffs, but he does have a forced fumble and interception, along with seven tackles.

Player 8

- Gary Brackett: In the regular season, Brackett was second in tackles for the Colts with 99 stops. He also had one sack and one interception during the year. He leads all Colts defenders in the postseason with 13 tackles, and also has the team's only sack.

- Clint Session: Session was Indianapolis' leading tackler in the regular season, taking down ball carries 103 times. He was productive in other areas as well, picking off two passes, and scoring one of the Colts' two defensive touchdowns. In the playoffs, he is fourth on the team in tackles with 11, but has not done anything else noteworthy.

- Jonathan Vilma: Vilma's 110 tackles in the regular season was tops among Saints players, but he did more than just hit people. The Pro Bowler also intercepted three passes and amassed two sacks. He has amassed just six tackles in the postseason, but he also has a forced fumble and interception.

Player 9

- Antoine Bethea: Bethea was all over the field in the regular season. He was third on the Colts with 95 tackles, but led them with four interceptions and also forced two fumbles. In the Colts' two playoff games, he's made just eight tackles, but also has one of the three interceptions Indy has managed.

- Roman Harper: Harper was second on the Saints in tackles during the regular season with 102, but led them with 10 tackles for loss. He also forced two fumbles and managed 1.5 sacks, though he didn't intercept any passes. So far this postseason, Harper has nine tackles and one forced fumble.

- Darren Sharper: Sharper's 70 tackles in the regular season placed him third on New Orleans' squad, but his contributions to the team's defense went far beyond that. He picked off nine passes, and more remarkably, scored three defensive touchdowns, which was one more than the entire Colts team had. He has 13 tackles so far in the playoffs, which is tied for second on the Saints, but hasn't gathered an interception.

Player 10

- Jabari Greer: Greer made 44 tackles in the regular season, and amassed the second-highest total of passes defended with 13. He also picked off two passes, and scored one defensive touchdown. So far in the playoffs, Greer has made 10 tackles and leads the team with three passes defended.

- Jacob Lacey: Lacey was fourth on Indianapolis' team with 85 tackles during the regular season, which is impressive considering he's a cornerback. He also led the team with 13 passes defended, and was second with three interceptions and scored one of their two defensive touchdowns. Lacey's 11 postseason tackles are tied for fourth on the Colts, and 10 of them have been solo stops, which is tied for second-most.

- Tracy Porter: Porter made 57 tackles in the regular season, but was around the ball a lot, forcing two fumbles, and snatching four interceptions, which was second on the team. He also scored a defensive touchdown. Porter also made the interception of Brett Favre in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship game, and is tied for second on the team with 13 tackles, not to mention one forced fumble.

Kicker

- Garrett Hartley: Hartley has only hit two field goals in the postseason, but both were between 40-49 yards, including the game-winning 40-yarder in overtime of the NFC Championship game. He's also hit all 10 of his extra-point tries.

- Matt Stover: Stover has nailed each of the five field goals he's attempted this postseason, and they've come from varying distances. His boots have come from 19, 21, 25, 33 and 44 yards. Stover has also connected on each of his five extra-point attempts.

Teams

- Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints: Picking the winner will net you 20 points in the contest, so go with your instincts. If it's any help, the Colts are favored by a decent margin, between five and six points depending on where you look. But, if you're playing a Super Bowl fantasy football contest, you undoubtedly already knew that, didn't you?