For a guy who teammate Jordan Gross said was playing offensive line on the scout team at practice last week, former N.C. State defensive tackle DeMario Pressley made the most of his first playing time with the Panthers.

Pressley, who was added to the active roster Friday after receiver Legedu Naanee was placed on injured reserve, finished with five tackles, tying him for fourth on the team.

The Panthers are the third stop for Pressley this season. He was previously on the practice squad in Indianapolis and Denver. He played for New Orleans for parts of three seasons beginning in 2008 before joining Houston in 2010.

"It was kind of weird," Pressley said of his sudden role change with the Panthers. "I was hoping I could get one week just before the end of the season. I've been like four or five places. I want to make Carolina home. I'm from (Greensboro)."

Pressley is hopeful his brief time with the Panthers will stretch into next season.

"Today is a new year," Pressley said. "I think Carolina will be a new beginning for me."

SHOCKEY'S FUTURE: Tight end Jeremy Shockey finished the season with 37 receptions for 455 yards and four touchdowns. Shockey played 15 of 16 games and was praised often by coach Ron Rivera for his work ethic and passion.

The next question is whether Shockey will return to the Panthers next season. He and Greg Olsen formed a formidable tandem at tight end and Shockey said earlier in the season he hopes to return, but he played with a one-year contract.

"It's a question that time will tell," Shockey said when asked about next year.

BREES-ING IN: After some early-week discussions about whether the Saints would play many of their key players given the unlikelihood of improving their playoff seeding - they remained the No. 3 seed in the NFC after San Francisco clinched the second seed - quarterback Drew Brees liked the approach adopted by coach Sean Payton.

Last season, the Saints were in a similar position and took a more cautious approach in the regular-season finale and were immediately bounced from the playoffs.

"As we looked around this time, we said, 'Let's finish strong ... continue to progress, continue to move forward, continue to get better as we make this run to the playoffs."

The Saints also broke or extended more than a dozen league records.

"It was everything we hoped for," Brees said.

INJURY UPDATE: Tight end Greg Olsen left the game in the second quarter after suffering a concussion on an incomplete pass. Cornerback Darius Butler suffered a fractured arm in the first half. Linebacker and special teams player Jason Williams left the game with a bruised knee.

INACTIVES: The Panthers' inactives were quarterback Jimmy Clausen, kicker Adi Kunalic, safety Jordan Pugh, linebacker Omar Gaither, center Jeff Byers, defensive tackle Andre Neblett and defensive end Charles Johnson.

The Saints' inactives were wide receiver Lance Moore, safety Malcolm Jenkins, running back Mark Ingram, linebacker Jonathan Vilma, tight end Tory Humphrey, tight end John Gilmore and defensive end Jeff Charleston.

Observations

Remember the early-season angst about what was missing in the running game? The Panthers became the first team in league history to have three players with at least 700 rushing yards (DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Cam Newton).

The Panthers ran four direct snaps to Williams, gaining 37 yards total, the biggest gain being a 20-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

One question: How did the Saints lose to both the St. Louis Rams and the Tampa Bay Bucs this season?

Former Panthers kicker John Kasay is in the Saints' record book. His 144 points and 63 point after touchdowns are both franchise records.

By the numbers

13 Number of different starting lineups the Panthers used on defense this season.

71.2 Drew Brees completion percentage this season, an NFL record.

699 Career receptions for Steve Smith, making him the franchise's all-time leader, passing Muhsin Muhammad, who had 696 catches.

2,696 Total yards gained by New Orleans' Darren Sproles this season, an NFL record.

Quotes

"They have passionate fans here. Probably half of them were hung over and you can't blame them. They're passionate fans and they're used to winning. The past has moved on and they're on to the present." - Jeremy Shockey on the boos he received from the crowd in New Orleans, where he played for three seasons.

"They just came out and showed us why they're going to the playoffs and we're not." - Brandon LaFell .

"They (the Saints) were pretty impressive out there today. Their offense, I don't know how you could do much better." - Jordan Gross .

"I learned so much the entire season. I can do so many things better." - Cam Newton .

"Eventually, we began to slow them down and then the game began to separate. There were two or three series in a row where we were able to force them to punt. With how we were scoring, that made the difference." - Saints coach Sean Payton .