In a topsy-turvy game with no playoff implications, Carolina beat the Saints 44-38 on Sunday in the Superdome, rallying for 28 consecutive points in the second half behind a career-high 210 rushing yards from DeAngelo Williams. The victory earned the Panthers a second-place finish in the NFC South. 

The Panthers (7-9) remained hot at the end the season, winning their last four and five of their last six after a dreadful 2-8 start. That may save coach Ron Rivera’s job.

The Saints, whose bounty suspension-affected season already was a crushing disappointment, finished 7-9 to equal their worst record in seven years under QB Drew Brees. They were seeking their second three-game win streak of the year and a .500 finish but came up short, shattering the NFL single-season record for yards allowed in the process.

When the game turned: The Saints had rallied from a 10-0 deficit and led 24-13 in the third quarter and thought they had the ball deep in Panthers territory after challenging a non-fumble call. A review indicated Carolina TE Greg Olsen had fumbled but could not prove Saints CB Johnny Patrick had his right foot inbounds when he picked up the ball. Carolina QB Cam Newton then converted a third-and-18 with a 34-yard pass to Louis Murphy, and Williams scored on a 54-yard run two plays later. That was the first of four consecutive Panthers TD as they roared back to go ahead 41-24. The Saints rallied with two late TDs but never got the ball back for one final scoring attempt.

Highlight moments: Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams raced through a sizeable hole for a 65-yard gain before being pushed out of bounds at the 1 in the second quarter. … Saints LB Jonathan Vilma stepped in front of a Cam Newton screen pass to DeAngelo Williams and walked into the end zone for a 19-yard score in the second quarter. … … Williams cruised untouched for a 54-yard TD in the third quarter. … The Panthers Armanti Edwards returned a punt 69 yards to set up the clinching TD in the fourth quarter.

Top-shelf performances:

  • Brees -- 29 of 43 for 396 yards and four TDs with one interception.

     
  • Williams -- 21carries for 210 yards and two TDs

     
  • Carolina FB Mike Tolbert -- three 1-yard TD runs

     
  • Saints WR Lance Moore -- four catches for 121 yards, first 1,000-yard season

     
  • Saints TE Jimmy Graham -- nine catches for 115 yards and a TD.

What they said:

  • Williams on the Panthers' hot finish: “They say good teams play well in November and December. I think we proved that. Unfortunately, we did not start out strong. But, we finished strong.”

     
  • Rivera on Williams' huge day: “It was awesome. I know this much: WE found some really good things in terms of what we did today.”

     
  • Saints interim head coach Joe Vitt on the loss: “It’s totally unacceptable what happened today. … It’s not acceptable, and we’re going to get it fixed.”

     
  • Brees on the urgency to atone for the 7-9 record in 2012: “This offseason can’t come fast enough."

Numbers you should know: Brees is the first QB in NFL history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in three seasons, and he owns two of the three largest yardage totals in NFL history. He finished with 5,177 yards, third to his NFL-record 5,476 last year and Tom Brady’s 5,235 last year. … The Panthers had a season-high 530 yards of total offense. … The Saints gave up 7,042 yards for the season. The previous worst total was the 6,793, allowed by the 1981 Baltimore Colts. … The Panthers converted 10 of 16 third downs.

Of minor significance: Carolina will have a second-place schedule in 2013, playing the second-place teams from the NFC East and North. The Saints will have a third-place schedule. The Panthers win the three-way tiebreaker for second in the South.

Injury update: Newton twisted his ankle when he was hit after a pass in the second half but returned before the end of the series. … Saints kickoff returner Travaris Cadet injured a shoulder late in the first half.

Going forward: The Saints will try to forget everything about this year as they welcome coach Sean Payton back from a season-long suspension. The Panthers may or may not have done enough with their late-season run to save Ron Rivera’s job. They hope Newton builds on his performance in the final eight games and becomes a legitimate star in year No. 3. 

Follow Saints reporter Guerry Smith on Twitter @CBSSaints.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow @CBSPanthers.