NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Drew Brees predicted that winning would get tougher the longer the Saints remained unbeaten.
He's been right lately, yet the Saints are still perfect, having already matched last season's victory total with the best start in the franchise's 43-year history.
New Orleans moved to 8-0 when Brees overcame two early turnovers to pass for 330 yards and a touchdown in a 30-20 comeback victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
After never trailing in their first five games, the Saints were forced to come from behind for a third straight week. Brees berated himself for his third fumble and fifth interception in his last three games. Then he mixed in some praise regarding his team's recent showing of resilience.
"Everything happens for a reason and I believe that the more times you're in situations like that, and the many different ways that you can just find to win games, that helps you down the road," Brees said. "We've been in some tough spots and we've been able to pull ourselves out of it and that says a lot."
The Saints play next at St. Louis and then at Tampa Bay, who are a combined 2-14 this season, meaning New Orleans has a realistic chance to be 10-0 when New England -- the only team to finish a regular season 16-0 -- comes to the Louisiana Superdome the Monday night after Thanksgiving.
As for the Saints' chances of going unbeaten until the end, Brees hedged.
"Every one of the teams we play from here on out has us marked with a big star," Brees said. "We understand what's at stake here and obviously the opportunity we have just doesn't come along all that often. So would we like to win them all? Absolutely, but you can never look too far ahead. It's all about the next game."
Before this season, the only 7-0 team New Orleans ever had was in 1991, a squad coached by Jim Mora and known for its defense.
The defense on the 2009 Saints gives up its share of yards, but makes big plays at the right time.
While the Saints did not intercept a pass for the first time all season, their defense forced three turnovers on fumbles. The last produced New Orleans' seventh defensive touchdown of the season on Anthony Hargrove's strip, recovery and 1-yard return late in the fourth quarter.
DeAngelo Williams rushed for 149 yards and TDs of 66 and 7 yards, and Carolina gained 182 yards on the ground. But it was Williams' fumble at his 1 that led to the clinching TD.
It was Carolina's (3-5) first loss in Louisiana since 2001 and quarterback Jake Delhomme's first loss in the Superdome. The Panthers blew a 17-3 lead as the Saints improved to 5-0 at home this season.
"It's pretty disheartening, but you've got to give them credit," said Panthers linebacker Jon Beason, who recovered Brees' fumble to set up Williams' second TD. "They are a good football team -- I wouldn't say 'great' just right now because, hey, everyone out there saw we can play with them. We proved that for 3 1/2 quarters. We just have to make the plays at the end."
After failing to score a touchdown in the first half for the first time all season, the Saints needed four plays to produce Pierre Thomas' 10-yard TD run to cut Carolina's lead to 17-13 to open the third quarter. Devery Henderson's 63-yard gain on a short slant highlighted the drive.
Robert Meachem's leaping catch and run for a 54-yard score tied it at 20. The Saints took their first lead on John Carney's third field goal with 4:36 left.
Will Smith, who had two sacks, stripped Delhomme on fourth down, and Hargrove recovered to end Carolina's next series. Four plays later, Saints rookie Malcolm Jenkins dove to stop Thomas Morstead's punt from going into the end zone, setting up Hargrove's second fumble recovery in less than a minute.
Before that stretch, Hargove, suspended all of 2008 for NFL substance abuse violations, hadn't had a fumble recovery since 2005.
