The New Orleans Saints close out their 2012 regular season schedule on Sunday, when they play host to the Carolina Panthers, in an NFC South division match-up.

This will mark the second meeting between the two teams this year, with Carolina winning the first game, 35-27, back on September 16.

New Orleans defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 34-31, in overtime, last Sunday, to improve to 7-8 on the year, while Carolina won their third-consecutive game last week, defeating the Oakland Raiders, 17-6, to move to 6-9 on the season.

The Saints are led by quarterback Drew Brees, who has thrown for 4,781 yards, and 39 touchdowns this year, while the Panthers are paced by quarterback Cam Newton, who has thrown for 3,621 yards, and has ran for another 707 yards.

Offensively, New Orleans ranks third in the NFL, averaging 408.9 yards-per-game, while Carolina ranks 17th, averaging 349.4 yards a contest.

Defensively, the Panthers rank eighth in the league, allowing 325.9 yards-per-game, while the Saints rank last, giving up an average of 434.1 yards per contest.

The all-time series between the two franchises is knotted at 17-17.

Kick-off time at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans is set for noon.

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