When New Orleans eked out a two-point home victory over the then-winless Carolina Panthers, it was viewed as a sign the Saints might not be up to the task of defending their Super Bowl title.
Five weeks later, New Orleans' prospects look better after knocking off Pittsburgh last week, but the Saints need to finish off a sweep of the Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte to keep the momentum going.
The 16-14 victory against the Panthers in Week 4, in which New Orleans (5-3) needed a late field goal from John Carney to escape with a win, was one of several early signs the Saints might not quite be themselves this season, but they answered many of those questions with last week's 20-10 home win against the Steelers.
With Drew Brees at the helm, the Saints' passing game continues to click. Brees ranks first in the NFC with 2,334 passing yards and leads the league with 16 touchdown passes. Brees threw for 275 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting this season.
The Panthers (1-6) only wish they had such consistency at quarterback. Matt Moore is back in place as the starter after being benched for rookie Jimmy Clausen, who played the first game against the Saints this season.
After passing for 308 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Panthers to their first win, 23-20 against the San Francisco 49ers, two weeks ago, Moore struggled in last week's 20-10 loss at St. Louis, throwing three interceptions. He has completed 55.5 percent of his passes for 844 yards with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
And Carolina's running game, among the best in the league last year, hasn't been much better. Leading rusher DeAngelo Williams sat out last week with a foot injury - he did not practice Wednesday and could miss another game - and Jonathan Stewart was unimpressive in his absence, managing only 30 yards on 14 carries.
New Orleans would prefer not to see Williams, who has averaged 119.8 rushing yards in four career starts against the Saints, including 86 yards and a touchdown in Week 4.
The Saints have also had problems in the backfield, mostly in the form of injuries. The versatile Reggie Bush has been out since breaking his fibula in Week 2 and Pierre Thomas has missed the past five games with an ankle injury. Neither is expected to be back Sunday.
The bulk of the work in the backfield had been going to rookie Chris Ivory, who broke out with 158 yards on 15 carries in Week 6 against Tampa Bay, but Ivory was limited to seven yards on seven carries and suffered a mild concussion against the Steelers. Veterans Julius Jones and Ladell Betts are in line for more work if Ivory is limited.
Carolina has won seven of the past 10 meetings, but New Orleans has won two of the past three.