NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees and the Saints' prolific offense never had to play from behind in their first five games.

But mastering the comeback in their last three has gotten New Orleans off to its best start in the franchise's 43-year history.

New Orleans overcame a 17-6 halftime deficit to move to 8-0 as Brees overcame two early turnovers to pass for 330 yards and a touchdown in a 30-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

"That's great. I mean, 1967 until now and we're the only (Saints) team to have done that," Brees said. "That's really special. I feel like we've got a special group of guys, a special team, and certainly we're not satisfied with just being 8-0."

The Saints play the Rams and Buccaneers next, teams that are 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 — visits the Monday night after Thanksgiving.

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 has continued to make 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.

Hargrove might have been down before advancing the ball, but the play started before the two-minute warning and Carolina had no timeouts, preventing a challenge.

DeAngelo Williams rushed for 149 yards and two TDs, and Carolina gained 182 yards on the ground. But it was Williams' fumble at his 1 that led to the clinching TD after the Panthers blew a 17-3 lead.

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.

Carolina responded with a 19-play drive but had to settle for John Kasay's 25-yard field goal. Delhomme's third-down pass bounced off Williams' shoulder pads at the goal line.

"It was very disappointing, we came very close to getting the touchdown with that pass to DeAngelo," Delhomme said. "That would have been huge, making it 24-13."

Instead, New Orleans tied it 20- 20 on Robert Meachem's leaping catch and run for a 54-yard score on the final play of the third quarter.

On their next possession, the Saints started at their 2 and drove 76 yards in 13 plays to go ahead 23-20 on John Carney's 40-yard field goal with 4:36 left. Then Will Smith, who had two sacks, stripped Delhomme on fourth down, and Hargrove recovered to end Carolina's next series. The Saints failed to gain a first down and after punting Hargrove came up with his second fumble recovery in less than a minute, this one for the clinching touchdown.