by SHELDON MICKLES; Advocate sportswriter; , The Advocate

After not trailing in any of their first five games, the Saints were behind in the first half for the third consecutive week - this time digging a 14-0 hole for themselves in the first 8:07 of their game with the Carolina Panthers in the Superdome.

But they outscored the Panthers 30-6 over the final 3% quarters to secure a 30-20 win over their NFC South rivals and improve to 8-0 for the first time in the team's 43-year history - eclipsing the 7-0 start of the 1991 Saints .

The eight victories also matched their win total for the entire 2008 season. That 8-8 mark a year ago came on the heels of a 7-9 record in '07, which made Sunday's come-from-behind victory even more special to many.

"It (being 8-0) is great," said quarterback Drew Brees. "From 1967 until now, we're the only team to have done that. I feel like we have a special group of guys."

"(8-0) means a lot to me because I know what we had to go through the last two seasons," running back Reggie Bush said. "To get here means a lot.

"We have a lot of heart and a lot of great character guys," he added. "Just take the Miami game, look at last week (against Atlanta) and today. We always stay together in the face of adversity."

They certainly proved that the last three games.

They trailed the Dolphins, 24-3, in the second quarter on Oct. 25 before rallying for a 46-34 victory. On Monday night, they twice fell behind the Falcons by seven points and eventually emerged with a 35-27 win.

On Sunday, they stumbled around on offense and defense early and didn't score a touchdown in the first half for the first time this season - getting just field goals of 23 and 25 yards from John Carney.

The Panthers (3-5) started much better, scoring on runs of 66 and 7 yards by DeAngelo Williams almost before the crowd of 70,011 could settle into their seats. John Kasay later added a 32-yard field goal to push the lead to 17-3 following Carney's first field goal.

At halftime, the Saints' problems showed.

The Panthers had 130 rushing yards and the Saints , who led the NFL in total offense coming into the game, had just 164 yards. Most alarming was two turnovers by Brees, who has eight giveaways in the last three games.

Brees fumbled while being sacked on their second possession, which Carolina turned into Williams' 7-yard scoring run. Two possessions later, Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble intercepted a Brees pass in the red zone to choke off a scoring threat.

"I take responsibility for the way we came out offensively ... I turned the ball over twice," said Brees, who rebounded nicely to lead his team to 414 total yards. "I'm real disappointed in myself, knowing how important this game was today. What I can take pride in is the way we bounced back."

Indeed.

On the third play of the second half, Brees hooked up with wide receiver Devery Henderson, who turned a short 7-yard toss into a 63-yard play to the Panthers' 10. Pierre Thomas ran it in on the next play to trim the deficit to 17-13.

"We just needed to get in a groove," said right tackle Jon Stinchcomb. "Once we got into a rhythm, it showed."

Henderson, who caught three passes for 93 yards, said he and the Saints felt the momentum swing after his big play and it eventually carried over to the defense.

"We knew we just had to get everyone rolling," said Henderson. "When the offense gets started, it's hard to stop us. We had plenty of time, guys just had to start making plays."

The defense started pitching in as well even though the Panthers took the ball after Thomas' score and went on a 19-play, 73-yard drive that resulted in a 25-yard Kasay field goal and a 20-13 lead.

The Saints came back for a 54-yard TD pass from Brees, who was 24-of-35 for 330 yards, to Robert Meachem that tied the game at 20 on the final play of the third period. Carney's 40-yard field goal with 4:36 to play gave them the lead for the first time.

Meanwhile, the final period was a disaster for the Panthers. Their final four possessions ended in a punt, two fumbles - both in the final 2:43 - and they also gave the ball up on downs.

Former Saints quarterback Jake Delhomme fumbled while being sacked by defensive end Will Smith for the second time and defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove fell on it with 2:43 to play.

Then, just 43 seconds later, Hargrove forced Williams, who finished the game with 149 yards on 21 carries, to fumble after Thomas Morstead's punt pinned them back at their 2. Hargrove grabbed the ball and ran it in from the 1 for the final score at the two-minute warning.

It was a bitter ending for Delhomme and the Panthers, who had won six straight road games against the Saints . Delhomme, who was 17-of-30 for 201 yards, had never lost in the Superdome as a starter - winning twice with Louisiana-Lafayette, once for the Saints and four times with the Panthers.

"Being a part of teams that won here before was great," said Delhomme, who joined the Panthers in 2003. "It just didn't happen today."

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