The Carolina Panthers defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-to-22 on Sunday.
Panthers Quarterback Cam Newton threw for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also ran for a 13-yard touchdown. Newton praised Carolina's offense.
"The success of the pass game was pretty much dictated by the offensive line," Newton said. "Those guys, they really controlled the ball up front. They gave me a lot of time to scan the field and make sure than I can throw an accurate pass."
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen had eight receptions for a career-high 134 yards and had two 11-yard touchdown catches.
The Panthers are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since reaching the Super Bowl in the 2003 season.
Carolina coach Ron Rivera says the Saints presented stiff competition.
"They are gonna play their best against us and New Orleans is always gonna do that because it's a divisional rivalry and that's the truth of the matter there," said Rivera. "The biggest thing that we have to do is we have to give them back our best."
New Orleans quarterback Luke McCown started in place of the injured Drew Brees. He completed 31 of 38 passes for 310 yards but it wasn't enough to save the Saints from falling three games back in the NFC South.
The Panthers head to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers next Sunday.