New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has revealed that he is considering making changes for Sunday's match against the Carolina Panthers.

The Saints fell to a surprise 27-16 defeat at the hands of the St Louis Rams last weekend, making the upcoming match against the Panthers crucial in the race for the number two seed in the NFC.

Left tackle Charles Brown and kicker Garrett Hartley, who missed two field goals in the loss to the Rams, have seen their places in the team come under threat, but Payton has insisted that he would look at every area of the field.

"It's our jobs very quickly here with an important game coming up to make corrections - and then also to look closely at who we're asking to do certain things," Payton told reporters.

"Listen, I think we're looking closely at every element. You know, I told the players today in the team meeting we're looking closely at each aspect of this team. And not trying to read into my answer, I just think it's important for us to do that.

"Whether it's [the kicker], the tackle position, whether it's a player on defense, the one thing I know I don't want to do is just repeat the process over and over again. So we're gonna look closely at what our options are and what gives us the best chance as we get ready to play this coming week and then obviously one week remaining."

If the Saints beat the Panthers on Sunday, then they will secure the number two seed in the NFC, getting a first-round bye in the playoffs.

However, if they lose, then they would need to win their final game of the season and hope that Carolina are beaten by the Atlanta Falcons.