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From unnecessary roughness calls at poorly timed moments, to numerous others that added up, the Panthers suffered from a season-high 11 flags that proved costly in a loss to the Saints.

The 20-17 loss to the Saints was hard to swallow, but the Panthers are still tied with Tampa Bay atop the NFC South, and play the Bucs twice in the next three weeks.

The Panthers drop to 7-7 with two games left against the Buccaneers, after a heart-breaking loss to the Saints.

The Panthers will be without the starting defensive lineman Sunday against the Saints, after he was a late addition to the injury report with a hamstring issue.

For the Panthers players who have been in similar positions -- and there aren't many -- the message this week has been about the game in front of them and only that one.

The team brought linebacker Isaiah Simmons up from the practice squad this week, and added defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton to the injury report.

From stopping Tyler Shough to achieving a balanced offensive attack, and of course embracing a "championship opportunity," here are five things to watch as the Panthers take on the Saints.

The Panthers are wearing the traditional white on white this weekend on the road, and the last time they had it on, it went pretty well for them.

The Panthers game will air on FOX at 4:25 p.m. ET.

None of the players on the injury report have game status designations, meaning everyone is ready to go Sunday in New Orleans.