Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has played down the team's crucial clash with the New Orleans Saints this weekend.

Both of the NFC South sides hold 9-3 records at present, with many tipping the winners of Sunday night's match to be the more likely to go on to win the division.

However, Newton still feels that there is a long way to go with four weeks remaining, stating that meeting the Saints is just like any other game.

He told Panthers.com: "This game is like any other game. It's only our most important game because it's our next one. We have to go into it trusting our preparation and being prepared and I think we'll be alright.

"New Orleans is a place which has always had a high intensity crowd but so do we and we've played in this type of atmosphere before. We'll be okay as long as we're focused on the job we have to do."

The Panthers are currently on an eight-game winning streak, while the Saints crashed to a heavy defeat to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday.