McAllister, Carney Lock In Win for Saints

Deuce McAllister ran for two touchdowns, and John Carney kicked a 47-yard field goal with three seconds left to lift the Saints to a 23-20 opening win over the Carolina Panthers.

The Saints rushed the field to celebrate the kick in their first regular-season game since Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans on Aug. 29.

New Orleans opened the game with a businesslike first drive, running McAllister straight at Carolina’s line.

He has always been successful against the Panthers, and this time was no different.

He touched the ball nine times on the drive, punctuating it with a four-yard touchdown run.

McAllister added a two-yard touchdown in the second quarter, to give the Saints a 14-7 lead they took into halftime.

From there, nothing came easy for the Saints, who missed chance after chance to put the Panthers away.

Carolina was sloppy; Jake Delhomme threw two interceptions, and the Panthers fumbled twice.

But New Orleans was never able to capitalize: The Saints fumbled away both of Delhomme’s interceptions during the returns.

That gave the Panthers just enough room to make a run at the win, and they did it with big games from Steve Smith and Stephen Davis, two of their stars who sat out most of last season because of injury.

Davis ran for 81 yards and a touchdown, and Smith had eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Smith just missed scoring at least four other times, being ruled out of bounds on three catches in the end zone. And his catch in the end zone at the end of the first half was ruled incomplete because he stepped out of bounds before he caught the ball.

“I just think that’s some fine 20/20 vision by the referees,” a sarcastic Smith said. “That’s really it.”

Still, Carolina was able to tie it, 20-20, on John Kasay’s 46-yard field goal with 1:04 to play.

The Saints wouldn’t settle for overtime, though.

Aaron Brooks threw passes of 11 and 25 yards to Joe Horn to move them in range for Carney, and he delivered.