The Panthers have experienced the gamut of results this season.

They've won several times in dramatic fashion and shutout the Falcons, 30-0. They've also been beaten by margins of 29 and 31 and suffered a disappointing letdown at home in the first meeting with the Saints.

This weekend was the first time that Carolina has been dealt true heartbreak, though. While the Panthers have won three games on the final play, Sunday's 20-17 loss in New Orleans was the first time it lost in that fashion.

This result puts Carolina back into a tie with Tampa Bay for the NFC South lead — squandering an opportunity to grab a stranglehold of the division after the Buccaneers lost at home to Atlanta on Thursday — ahead of the first of their two clashes in Charlotte next week.

But it was the series of events that led up to Charlie Smyth's last-second, 47-yard field goal that will make this one especially sting.

The Panthers took a double-digit lead in the second half when Bryce Young threaded perhaps the throw of his career — 32 yards on 2nd and 21 — to Jalen Coker for a touchdown. However, almost everything that followed that play went in the home team's favor.

Fast-forwarding to the final five minutes, the Saints marched 78 yards for a game-tying touchdown. The drive's culminating play was a third-down slant to Chris Olave for a 12-yard score.

This gave Bryce Young, who leads the NFL in game-winning drives since 2023 with 11, the ball with 2:29 to go, but the ensuing possession left much to be desired. 

There was a misfire from Young to Tetairoa McMillan, which was originally called a catch but then overruled to an incompletion. There was also a sack that eventually led to Carolina punting it back to the Saints.

This set up the Saints' game-winning drive and the most frustrating mistake of the day. 

With 12 seconds remaining, New Orleans has moved the ball to Carolina's 48 yard line, but possesses no timeouts. The Saints then called for a quarterback draw and were presumably going to settle for a kick longer than 60 yards. 

Rookie safety Lathan Ransom, however, delivered a late-hit to quarterback Tyler Shough, who had already began his slide. The 15-yard penalty stopped the clock and made the game-winning attempt much more manageable.