Saints coach Sean Payton wants to make hi

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How badly remains to be seen. That will be judged in part by the players he tries to win with when the playoff-bound Saints (13-2) host the reeling Carolina Panthers (6-9) on Sunday.With the Saints having clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed and Carolina out of the playoffs , this matchup has “low stakes” written all over it — except for one thing Payton made a point of mentioning.Article continues below ...“We have a chance to win more games in the regular season than any team in Saints history,” said Payton, who has now coached New Orleans to 13 wins in three seasons since taking over in 2006. “There’s a lot at stake relative to some individuals, but also the evaluation process and then also as a team being able to hit that 14th win. I think that that’s a lot.”Payton declined to get specific about who he meant by “some individuals,” but odds are he was referring to reserves who’ve been competing all season for snaps — not players like record-setting quarterback Drew Brees, dynamic running back Alvin Kamara or leading receiver Michael Thomas.Payton announced after Friday’s practice that he intends to start Brees’ backup, Teddy Bridgewater, but declined to go into specifics about playing time at other positions.Still, it hardly seemed worth the risk to subject the club’s most productive players to possible injury, considering a trip to the Super Bowl is two home victories away after this final regular-season obligation has been dispensed with.Panthers coach Ron Rivera said earlier this week that he didn’t see the point in guessing the Saints’ personnel plans and was preparing for New Orleans’ usual offense.“We’re preparing for Kamara, we’re preparing for (Mark) Ingram, and we’re preparing for their best shot,” Rivera said.If anything, Rivera is more concerned with keeping his own players sharp. As a former player himself, Rivera appreciates the challenge of getting emotionally and mentally ready for a game that — at least for established players whose futures are secure — won’t have much riding on it.“It’s a challenge. At the end of the day, it really comes down to the players controlling it themselves,” Rivera said. “I can say what I want to say and try and do things the way I want to do them , but it really does come down to the guys stepping up. It’s difficult. I get it. I have been there.”Some other story lines surrounding Panthers-Saints:MAIDEN STARTPanthers undrafted free agent Kyle Allen will make his first career start at quarterback.The 6-foot-3, 211-pound Allen replaces Taylor Heinicke, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after injuring his elbow in his first career start last week, a 24-10 loss to the Falcons.The team signed Garrett Gilbert on Wednesday to back up Allen. Both were in Panthers training camp.Cam Newton remains on the team’s active 53-man roster, but the team does not want to activate him for the game because he’s dealing with a nagging shoulder injury that limits velocity on longer throws.TEDDY’S BALLGAMEIt’s fair to say the 26-year-old Bridgewater has unfinished business in the NFL. The former first-round draft choice by Minnesota had practically all of his previous two seasons wiped out by a career-threatening knee injury. The Saints, who’ve had their sights set on the Super Bowl since coming a play away from advancing to last season’s NFC championship game, traded for Bridgewater late in preseason as insurance. Now Bridgewater is set to see his first sustained action in a game since the 2015 season. He has appeared in just four games this season in mop-up duty and attempted only one pass, an incompletion.“Just thinking about the road I’ve had to take to get to this point, I’m excited,” Bridgewater said before Payton had announced he would start. “Being in the position I’m in, you always have to stay ready and that’s been my mindset since I arrived here. … Your opportunity can come within the blink of an eye.”Payton said Bridgewater “has a live arm” and “very quickly picked up our system.”McCAFFREY MILESTONEPanthers running back Christian McCaffrey needs 155 yards receiving against the Saints to join Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season.However, it’s unclear if the Panthers will go for that record or not. Rivera has said the team needs to be careful with some of its stars and use this opportunity to look at some younger players.McCaffrey eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing last week and also set an NFL record for receptions by a running back in a season with 106.LAST HURRAH?This could be the final game for several longtime Panthers. Center Ryan Kalil already has said he’ll retire after the season. Defensive end Julius Peppers and linebacker Thomas Davis have expiring contracts.Peppers, 37, has not said if he plans to play next season. The 35-year-old Davis , who served a four-game, league-imposed suspension to start the season, said recently he wants to play next season. OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The last time Ben Roethlisberger faced the Baltimore Ravens, he threw for 506 yards and led four fourth-quarter scoring drives in a 39-38 Pittsburgh victory.The teams meet again Sunday night in an AFC North showdown. Perhaps by then, Ravens safety Eric Weddle will recall just how good Roethlisberger was in that back-and-forth matchup last December.“He had 500 yards against us?” Weddle asked Wednesday. “I thought we controlled him for the most part until the end. Huh. I don’t know, obviously my memory’s lost.”Weddle’s lapse aside, it was one of many unforgettable performances by Roethlisberger in a rivalry that ranks among the best in the NFL. Since breaking into the league in 2004, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback has thrown 38 touchdown passes and won 14 of 24 games (including playoffs) against the Ravens.Baltimore’s defensive game plan Sunday night will focus primarily on stopping Roethlisberger.“Obviously, he’s capable of taking a game over, throwing the ball every play if he has to,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.Roethlisberger put the ball up 66 times in that December game, completing 44 with two touchdowns and no interceptions.And man, he had a blast. Over the years, Roethlisberger has relished matching wits against several of the finest defensive players in NFL history.“Do I like this rivalry? Yes and no,” Roethlisberger said. “Yes , in the sense that it’s just, man, I remember the days, and even now, still going against that guy, 55 (Terrell Suggs). Ray Lewis, (Haloti) Ngata, Ed Reed, the list goes on and on, guys I have the utmost respect for that are Hall of Fame players. It’s fun in that sense.“It’s not fun because typically after this, you feel like you’ve been in five or six car wrecks. It takes a toll on your body. But in the sense of just being a purist and loving football, this is a great rivalry.”Roethlisberger has even warmed up to Suggs, a linebacker in his 16th season who loves to talk trash and smother the quarterback in the backfield.“I was blessed to play against Ray Lewis, and I know Ed Reed’s going to get in the Hall of Fame, too,” Roethlisberger said. “But I’ve been going 14 years against Suggs, and he’s a first-ballot guy for me. I’m not trying to pump him up because we’re about to play them. I truly feel that way. I think there’s a lot of mutual respect there. It’s a special rivalry he and I have.”Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called it: “Two legendary competitors battling.”Harbaugh said , “It’s been fun to be in those games and see those two iconic players go at it, that’s for sure.”With the new NFL rules limiting the manner in which a player can bring down a quarterback, Roethlisberger chuckled when asked if he might be able to avoid enduring another painful afternoon due to Suggs.“If he gets close to me,” the quarterback said, “I’m asking for a flag.”Pittsburgh has won the last three games in this rivalry, but the Ravens won the previous four — including a 30-17 victory in the 2015 playoffs.Flacco was a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh when Roethlisberger broke into the NFL. They’ve been competing against each other since 2008, with neither enjoying a distinct advantage in wins and losses.“I’ve had my eye on him for a while, so it’s cool to be able to go into that stadium and play against those guys and play against him,” Flacco said.The Ravens defense can’t say the same thing.“Nothing but respect and admiration for what he’s done over his career. It’s a tough, tough challenge for us, but we’re up for it,” Weddle said. “Any quarterback that throws for supposedly 500 yards … I still don’t know if I believe you guys.”

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