2001 Week 5 · Sun, Oct 14, 2001 · Ericsson Stadium

New Orleans SaintsWinner

Carolina Panthers

NO -5 no coverO 39.5 ✓16 mph windSaints closed -5, won by 2 — but didn't cover.

New Orleans Saints 27–25 — decided on the final possessions. Played in 16 mph wind — weigh that when reading the passing lines.

Pre-2018 game — box score & context only; play-by-play visuals start in 2018

Who moved the needle

Top performers

Passing · CAR

Chris WeinkeQB

21/39, 196 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

-11.1 expected points added

Passing · NO

Aaron BrooksQB

14/40, 180 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

-3.9 expected points added

Rushing · NO

Ricky WilliamsRB

31 att, 147 yds, 1 TD

4.6 expected points added on the ground

Rushing · NO

Aaron BrooksQB

7 att, 49 yds, 0 TD

2.5 expected points added on the ground

Receiving · NO

Joe HornWR

4/10 for 78 yds, 0 TD

28% of team targets · 3.4 expected points added

Receiving · CAR

Wesley WallsTE

5/8 for 61 yds, 1 TD

21% of team targets · 2.7 expected points added

Full stat lines

Box score

New Orleans Saints

Passing

Player	C/Att	Yds	TD	INT	Sacked	EPA
Aaron Brooks	14/40	180	2	1	2	-3.9

Rushing

Player	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	EPA
Ricky Williams	31	147	4.7	1	4.6
Aaron Brooks	7	49	7.0	0	2.5
Deuce McAllister	1	2	2.0	0	0.6

Receiving

Player	Rec	Tgt	Yds	TD	Tgt share	EPA
Joe Horn	4	10	78	0	28%	3.4
Cameron Cleeland	3	4	38	2	11%	4.8
Ricky Williams	4	7	31	0	19%	-4.9
Willie Jackson	2	10	25	0	28%	-4.9
Robert Wilson	1	2	8	0	6%	-0.1
Terrelle Smith	0	1	0	0	3%	-0.4
Albert Connell	0	2	0	0	6%	-1.1

Defense (top contributors)

Player	Solo	Ast	Sacks	PD
Kevin Mathis	7	1	0.0	2
Keith Mitchell	5	1	0.0	0
Sammy Knight	5	0	0.0	1
Fred Thomas	2	3	0.0	0
Darrin Smith	3	1	1.0	1
Norman Hand	3	0	0.0	0
Robert Wilson	2	0	0.0	0
Joe Johnson	2	0	0.0	0
Jay Bellamy	2	0	0.0	0
Willie Whitehead	2	0	0.0	0

Carolina Panthers

Passing

Player	C/Att	Yds	TD	INT	Sacked	EPA
Chris Weinke	21/39	196	2	1	1	-11.1

Rushing

Player	Att	Yds	Avg	EPA
Tim Biakabutuka	13	30	2.3	-5.4
Chris Weinke	3	2	0.7	-4.8
Richard Huntley	4	2	0.5	-3.5

Receiving

Player	Rec	Tgt	Yds	TD	Tgt share	EPA
Wesley Walls	5	8	61	1	21%	2.7
Tim Biakabutuka	3	5	58	0	13%	2.0
Donald Hayes	7	11	44	1	28%	2.7
Steve Smith	1	2	11	0	5%	0.4
Muhsin Muhammad	2	6	8	0	15%	-7.0
Brad Hoover	2	3	8	0	8%	-1.2
Isaac Byrd	1	4	6	0	10%	-3.1

Defense (top contributors)

Player	Solo	Ast	Sacks	PD
Kory Minor	5	1	0.0	2
Mike Minter	5	1	0.0	1
Mike Rucker	6	0	2.0	1
Deon Grant	5	0	0.0	1
Nate Hemsley	5	0	0.0	0
Rashard Anderson	4	0	0.0	2
Lester Towns	4	0	0.0	0
Jarrod Cooper	3	1	0.0	0
Jay Williams	3	0	0.0	0
Deveron Harper	3	0	0.0	0

Closing number vs result

Betting context

Closing spread: NO -5
Closing total: 39.5
NO moneyline: —
CAR moneyline: —

Saints closed -5, won by 2 — but didn't cover.

Total closed 39.5; the game landed 52 — over by 12.5.

Conditions and crew

Game environment

Venue: Ericsson Stadium
Roof / surface: outdoors · grass
Kickoff weather: 71°F, wind 16 mph
Referee: Ron Winter
Rest: NO 7 days · CAR 7 days
Coaches: Jim Haslett vs George Seifert

Division game — familiarity tightens these matchups; closing numbers tend to be sharper.

Wind at 16 mph is the kind that drags passing depth and kicking range — weigh it when reading the splits.