CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey has left the stadium in an ambulance with injured ribs after scoring a touchdown on his 500th career catch.

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Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune

Charlotte, N.C. — It appears the New Orleans Saints have picked up where they left off last week, and steamrolled the Carolina Panthers 34-3 at Bank of America Stadium in downtown Charlotte on Sunday.

The Saints rolled up more than 400 yards of total offense

This game was never really a contest as the Saints jumped on the Panthers early and if not for a flukey interception early in the first quarter, the Saints would have had a shutout.

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Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune

Moments after the New Orleans Saints’ demoralizing 30-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns, General Manager Mickey Loomis made his way into the locker room to address some of the team’s key leaders.

His message to defensive end Will Smith was simple: Keep your head up. We have a good team. Keep working and stay the course.

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James Varney, The Times-Picayune

New Orleans Saints fans watching the 2009 draft unfold were no doubt puzzled the team took a punter in the fifth round; those fans watching Thomas Morstead punt this season might be wondering why no one took him sooner.

In a season in which the Saints have struggled for consistency, Morstead has not. Each week he excels in one way or another. He averaged 51 yards on four punts against Cleveland and dropped three kicks inside the 20-yard line against Pittsburgh.

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New Orleans Saints tailback Pierre Thomas said he’s hoping to be off crutches next week and maybe to remove the walking boot from his left ankle the week after that.

The Times-PicayunePierre Thomas is still trying to come back from an ankle injury.

But he’s still feeling pain in the lingering and mystifying ankle sprain, and he said he doesn’t know when he might be able to return the practice field.

“I don’t know. I really don’t,” Thomas said when asked what would be the next step if the ankle doesn’t start feeling better after these weeks of rest. “I’m just doing what I’m told, so I don’t know what’s wrong, what’s the problem. I’m just doing what I’m told.”

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Nakia Hogan, The Times-Picayune

New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers scouting report

When/where: At Bank of America Stadium, noon Sunday, Fox-8

The Panthers are having an abysmal season. They have one win in seven games, their worst start since 2004, when they opened 1-7. Coach John Fox, who is likely in his final season with the franchise, has tried to change the direction of the team with several personnel moves. But nothing, including swapping quarterbacks and shuffling the offensive line, has seemed to work.

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Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune

The New Orleans Saints played like Super Bowl champions on the big stage against the big bad Pittsburgh Steelers, winning 20-10 before a loud and rowdy crowd at the Superdome on Sunday night.

Will Smith climbs all over Ben Reothslisberger, getting one of the three sacks for the Saints in a big defensive effort at the Superdome on Sunday.

Quarterback Drew Brees bounced back from a terrible game against Cleveland by going 34-of-44 for 305 yards and two touchdowns. He looked like the Brees of last season, completing big passes when he needed to.

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James Varney, The Times-Picayune

With the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the Pittsburgh Steelers are once again a full-throttle offense that is keeping New Orleans Saints defensive coordinators up late, Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said Saturday.

“Little bit more pass happy,” Williams began in his assessment of the current Steelers attack. “You know how we’ve faced a couple of younger quarterbacks who really haven’t done a thing against us defensively, we’ve had some conservative game plans come against us because of these young quarterbacks, you’ll see Pittsburgh now be a little bit more wide open because the trust Ben. Ben’s an older quarterback.

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Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune

The New Orleans Saints will wear black jerseys for the first time in the Superdome this season – fitting for Halloween night. Some players are expecting the black pants, as well, though Payton didn’t confirm the choice of pants, which he said can be changed up until game day.

The Saints’ choice of uniform is often one of the most discussed topics among fans, who believe some uniform combinations lead to better outcomes on the field. Payton, however, said there isn’t much strategy or superstition when it comes to choosing the colors.

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METAIRIE, La. — Pierre Thomas hobbled into the Saints’ locker room on crutches Thursday, keeping weight off his sprained left ankle and sounding perplexed about why his recovery is going so much slower than he’d hoped.

“I really don’t know what’s the whole problem. Everybody keeps saying it’s a sprain or maybe a little tear there,” Thomas said. “I don’t know for sure if that’s true. I’m hearing so many different stories. I don’t know what to believe.”

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