CHARLOTTE — A look inside the stats from the Carolina Panthers 23-22 win against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9.

• Rookie receiver Xavier Legette caught his fourth touchdown of the season on a 3-yard pass from quarterback Bryce Young in the second quarter, capping an eight-play, 40-yard drive. Legette finished the day with four catches for 33 yards and one touchdown.
• Among all rookies, Legette is currently tied for third in receiving touchdowns and tied for first since Week Four. He also leads all Panthers pass catchers in touchdowns.
• Quarterback Bryce Young completed 16-of-26 passes against the Saints for 171 yards with one touchdown. His 3-yard touchdown pass to Legette in the second quarter was the 15th total touchdown of his career.
• With under four minutes to play in the game (3:26), Young led the Panthers on the third game-winning drive of his career and the first game winning touchdown drive of his NFL career.
• In his last two games, Young has completed 40-of-63 passes for 395 yards with three touchdowns. season and sixth of his career.

• In the third quarter, rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders caught a 46-yard pass from Young, setting up a Panthers touchdown drive. This was the longest catch of Sanders' career. He finished the day with four catches for a career-high 87 yards. This was his second game this season leading the Panthers in receiving yards.
• Among rookie tight ends, Sanders is tied for first in yards per reception (10.2), and is second in receiving yards (245) and catches (24).
• Sanders caught 4 of his 5 targets for 87 yards in Week 9 against the Saints. According to Next Gen Stats, Sanders has generated the most receiving yards over expected in a game by a rookie tight end this season (+50). Sanders gained 62 yards after the catch and generated +38 YAC over expected, both the 2nd-most by a rookie tight end this season.

• In the third quarter, running back Chuba Hubbard scored on a 1-yard carry, capping a nine-play, 86-yard touchdown (5:05). His second touchdown of the day, his fifth of the season and the eventual game winner, came late in the fourth quarter. His 16-yard rush finished a four-play, 64-yard drive (1:08). This was Hubbard's first-career touchdown in the last three minutes of a game.
• Hubbard finished against the Saints with 15 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns. This marked his first multi-touchdown game of the season and second of his career (Week 13, 2023 against Tampa Bay). Hubbard leads the Panthers in total touchdowns this season with six and also ties a career-high for a single-season (2021).

• Despite starting a new offensive line for the second-consecutive week, the Panthers allowed only one sack and led the way for 80 rushing yards against the Saints. In the last two games, the Panthers have rushed for 149 yards behind the offensive line.

• With his game-clinching pass defensed, corner Mike Jackson reached seven for the season. He also added three tackles (two solo) including a tackle for loss, his first of the season.

• In the second start of his career, safety Demani Richardson led the Panthers with 12 tackles (eight solo). He also added a pass defended, the first of his career. This is the second week in a row that Richardson has led in tackles.

• With five tackles (two solo) against the Saints, linebacker Trevin Wallace is now tied for third in Panthers history in total tackles through a player's first five starts. He also added his first career tackle for loss.

• Outside linebacker Charles Harris got to Derek Carr on the Saints final drive for a sack. This marked his third of the season, leading all Panthers defenders. Harris also set season-highs with six tackles (five solo), two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.

• Along with Richardson and Harris, defensive tackle Nick Thurman (six total, one solo), defensive end LaBryan Ray (five total, two solo), and outside linebacker Cam Gill (five total, one solo) all set career- highs for tackles in a game.

• Kicker Eddy Piñeiro extended his streak of home field goals made to 36, the second-longest streak in Panthers history behind Graham Gano's 41-straight conversions (2016-18). It is also the longest active streak for a kicker in their home stadium in the NFL. Piñeiro finished the day going one-for-one on field goals, hitting from 48 yards in the second quarter, and two-for-two on PATs.

• Punter Johnny Hekker had a season-high three punts land inside of the 20 against the Saints. He ranks 12th in NFL history with 367 punts inside the 20.

Snap Counts

Take a look at the snap counts and playtime percentage for the Panthers in Week 9 of the regular season against the Saints.

• In a time in which stability at wide receiver is hard to come by after they traded one veteran away and another is injured, it's good to have someone to count on. For the Panthers, that's David Moore, the protector of the herd. Moore played more snaps than any receiver on the roster, which is logical in that he has more experience than any of the rest of them. Moore and Xavier Legette were the only wideouts to play more than half the snaps.
• Another good week in which the starting five offensive linemen played every snap together. Credit goes to Brady Christensen for switching back to left tackle and Cade Mays for stepping in at center. They added some expensive parts at guard this offseason, but this is still one of those "greater than the sum of the parts" situations they've created by building an entire offensive line.
• The hidden gem of the snap counts is Raheem Blackshear getting two snaps (he only had five offensive snaps in the first eight games). They were also two very specific snaps. He was the back in victory formation, on purpose. Chuba Hubbard said they practice it that way, and they weren't going to deviate from their routine. Blackshear is dependable and tough, two things you want in that situation.

• Speaking of very specific snap counts, Sam Franklin Jr. and Lonnie Johnson had one each on defense. The two special teams mainstays (who have very similar personality profiles and abilities to instigate opponents) were each on the field for New Orleans' final Hail Mary-ish/whatever that was attempt at the end of the first half. Special teamers have to be sure tacklers in space, and that's what that play demanded.
• On the other hand, the entire starting secondary plus inside linebacker/play-caller Josey Jewell played all 79 snaps. Demani Richardson has stepped in and played well as a rookie, and Mike Jackson has become reliable for a guy acquired just before the regular season in a trade with Seattle.
• In fact, Jackson's dependability limits the work for others, including projected starter Dane Jackson, who played just 22 snaps, former Titans first-rounder Caleb Farley, who played 10, and rookie nickel Chau Smith-Wade, who played 13.

• The Panthers claimed six players off waivers the day after cuts to 53, only three are still here, and none of them have played as much of a role as Jon Rhattigan. He's a special teams mainstay, the kind of guy who can play practically every down in that world, and play them well.
• This week remained on the wrong side of the Johnny Hekker-Eddy Piñeiro line, as they punted more than they kicked off, and yet it somehow worked. But there were a lot of things about this game that didn't statically point to a win, but no one's offering to give it back.