New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers
Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017 Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Saints player quotes

RB Mark Ingram II
On scoring on the first drive:
"That was the plan. They have been getting the best of us especially in big games. We put an emphasis that we were going to be the bullies. We were going to hit them in the mouth. That was a great team win."

On his 72-yard run:
"It was wide open. I tried to hit the hole as fast as I could and hit the end zone. They were sleeping on my speed, so I have to put the burners on them every now and then. I was trying to get my Alvin Kamara mode and get my matrix on"

On Kamara's performance:
"He is a monster He is always doing his thing. He's running. He's catching. He's a special player. He is definitely the rookie of the year."

On the third down conversion with the Max Unger assist:
"As a running back you try to do everything that you can to get extra yards. When you are short of the first down you try to push. I think Max came and gave me a little bump at the end for a first down."

RB Alvin Kamara
On Mark Ingram's 72-yard run in the second quarter:
"I was about to run on the field. It is one of those things where you see how someone prepares all week. He performs the way he practices. He runs like that during practice. I wasn't surprised. I was just hyped."

QB Taysom Hill
On playing special teams:
"It was really fun to go out there and it helped getting support from all of the guys."
On coming close to blocking a punt:
"I think I got close, but I'll have to go back and watch the tape to see how close it actually was. It was definitely close enough for us to all be on edge."

DE Cameron Jordan
On facing Cam Newton:
"When I hit Matt Ryan, I know he is going down. When I hit Cam, It is 70-30. That being said. I hit Cam a couple of times today. I got in his face a couple of times. I didn't squeak out my sack. We played the power option well. We tuned into to exactly what they wanted to do and we edged out a win. It's tough to beat any team twice. We talked about how much their offense has been rolling. We talked about the ability of Cam Newton and the rest of their offense. I was upset that I had this pass deflection and could have caught it. It hit my left hand, which isn't my dominant hand. If it had hit my right hand, then I would have been more competent. That's on me at the end of the day and that's what we were focused on."

On the long Mark Ingram run igniting the team:
"It's awesome to see him run like that by making the separation and then cutting back and confusing the defensive back like he did. It's awesome for the offense and definitely a momentum getter there."

WR Michael Thomas
On how the run game affects the receiving corps:
"It's great. Coach always emphasizes to get on those guys and block. These guys can make people miss. Once they get to that second level, great things and great gains happen."

On teams deferring after the opening coin toss like the Panthers did:
"It is what it is. It is football. It is heads or tails. They choose to defer, and we have to get ready to respond and execute at a high level It's our job to go out there as an offense and put points on the board."