The surging Carolina Panthers (9-3) head to the Big Easy to face the New Orleans Saints (9-3) in a huge match-up on Sunday Night Football as thet battle for the division lead and potentially a bye-week during the NFL postseason.

Sunday's game is the first of two games scheduled against each one another over the next three weeks, with the Saints currently holding lead in the NFC South division.

Carolina is on a seven-game winning streak, including four straight road-game victories, led by a Panthers' defense that has allowed an NFL-low 13.1 points per game and ranks second in the league in yards allowed with 289.8 yards per game. Carolina is also the last team to have beaten the Saints at home defeating them 44-38 last December.

Panthers' QB Cam Newton has played well, having thrown 19 touchdowns and rushed for six more so far this season, while going 18-of-29 for 263 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 68 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.

"People want to keep pointing at me, but the truth of the matter is our defense is playing lights out and giving us opportunities," said Newton.

The Saints are coming off a crushing defeat, on the road, at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, who punished them 34-7 Monday night. Seattle's defense contained Saints QB Drew Brees to 147 yards on 23-for-38 and a touchdown, with the Saints offense only crossing the midfield just once in the first three quarters and failing to convert two fourth-down attempts in the fourth quarter.

A return to the friendly indoor confines of Mercedes-Benz Superdome may be what the Saints need, where New Orleans is 6-0 for the season and Brees has thrown 19 touchdowns, only three interceptions, and has quarterback rating of 122.2 at home.

"It's like you're getting the best of the best," NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth to USA Today. "You're going to see Carolina's defense, led by Luke Kuechly, going into the Superdome where we've seen everybody struggle to try and stop that offense with Drew Brees. It's going to be fantastic."

You can catch the Carolina Panthers - New Orleans Saints Sunday Night Football broadcast 8:30 p.m. Sunday night on NBC.

In other Sunday Week 14 NFL action:

Indianapolis Colts (8-4) vs Cincinnati Bengals (8-4)

Both teams are jostling for playoff position thanks to their young quarterbacks leading the way for the Colts and Bengals. The Bengals currently have a two-game lead, in the AFC North division, on the defending Super Bowl champions Baltimore Ravens and are coming off 20-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers, with Dalton going 14-of-23 for 190 yards, including a touchdown and an interception in the game.

The Colts have a three-game lead over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South division, after beating the Titans 22-14 last week, with Andrew Luck throwing for 200 yards off a 17-for-32 performance despite no touchdowns, but was sacked five times, a season-worst, by the Titans. The Colts have to be wary of protecting Luck against the Bengals, who have tallied 18 sacks in five games. The Colts can clinch their eighth division title in ten years with a win over the Bengals or a loss by the Titans, who travel to Denver to play the Broncos.

TV: 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Detroit Lions (7-5) vs Philadelphia Eagles (7-5)

The Eagles are on a four-game winning streak and tied for first place in the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys, having recently named Nick Foles as the starting quarterback for the rest of the year. Foles, who replaces Michael Vick under center, has completes 72-of-106 pass attempts during the winning streak, throwing for 1,169 yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions, tallying a quarterback rating of 144.2.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford is having a great year, on pace to throw for 5,000 yards, including tossing for 627 passing yards and six touchdowns the last two games, including 330 yards and three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day. Detroit's defense has also been stellar, holding the Packers to 126 total yards, forcing three turnovers, and sacking Packers QB Matt Flynn seven times.

TV: 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Seattle Seahawks (11-1) vs San Francisco (8-4)

The Seahawks, who own the best record in the NFL, are looking for their eighth win in a row, coming off a Monday night victory where they thrashed the New Orleans Saints by a score of 34-7, with their defense bullying the Saints offense throughout much of the game. The Seahawks are looking to clinch the NFC West division - eighth division title in franchise history - with a win over San Francisco, who they defeated the 49ers in Week 2 of the season, and a first-round bye.

The 49ers defeated the Rams last week, trying to build on back-to-back wins, as they attempt to return to the Super Bowl this year. San Francisco is three games behind the Seahawks in the standings. San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick threw for 275 yards and touchdown without a turnover against division rivals, the St. Louis Rams, as the 49ers attempt to keep pace with Seattle in the division while holding on to a one-game lead for the final wild-card spot over the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.

TV: 4:25 p.m. on Fox

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