New Orleans, LA -- (Sports Network) - DeAngelo Williams ran for 178 yards, and John Kasay made four field goals, including the game-winner with one second left, as the Carolina Panthers secured the NFC South title and a first- round bye with a 33-31 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

With the win, Carolina locked up the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and will host the highest-seeded wild card-round team in the divisional round on Saturday, January 10 at 8:15 p.m. (et).

"You know, we answered (with the win)," Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme said. "It meant a lot to win this division. I've never had a bye week in the playoffs. I'm sure we'll practice and work. This is it, we're in the final eight. This is what you play for."

Delhomme completed 14-of-20 passes for 250 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers (12-4), who will appear in the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Steve Smith caught five passes for 134 yards, while Muhsin Muhammad registered 79 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches.

"Hopefully we weren't coasting too much. You knew they were gonna come back," Delhomme said. "When (Brees) is going for the all-time yardage record in a season, he can probably throw the ball pretty good, and we tried to sustain a couple drives, get a field goal, a little more separation."

Jonathan Stewart added a touchdown run in the win for Carolina.

Drew Brees threw for 386 yards on 30-of-49 passing for the Saints, with four touchdowns and an interception, becoming the second all-time leader in single- season passing yardage. His season mark of 5,069 yards stands behind only former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, who threw for 5,084 yards in 1984.

"For us to take the lead in the fourth quarter against the team that's going to be the two-seed in our conference, that says a lot about this team," Brees said. "The things we didn't do early on put us in that position, but you just want a chance to win in the end. Unfortunately we had two turnovers today that resulted in two touchdowns for them."

Marques Colston added 123 yards and a touchdown on seven catches for the Saints (8-8), who will finish short of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Moore caught eight passes for 91 yards and two scores, while Robert Meachem scored a touchdown for the second consecutive game.

"We had our opportunities," Saints head coach Sean Payton said. "We're gonna have to be better at finishing. That will be the challenge for this team in the offseason. We have to look at how we can improve, and that starts with me, the staff and everyone on the roster."

Smith's 54-yard reception early in the third helped set up Stewart's two-yard touchdown run, giving the Panthers a 30-10 lead with 10 minutes left in the quarter.

The Saints then put together a touchdown drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters, covering 69 yards in 10 plays. Brees hit Meachem on a screen pass from the seven-yard line, and Meachem found his way into the end zone, making it 30-17 less than 30 seconds into the fourth.

After a Panthers punt, Brees passed for 101 yards on a 12-play, 89-yard drive in which the Saints committed a couple penalties. His nine-yard TD strike to Moore capped the drive to bring New Orleans within 30-24 with 5 1/2 minutes to play, and Brees climbed to within 60 yards of Marino's all-time mark.

Carolina went three-and-out, and a 21-yard punt allowed the Saints to start on the Panthers' 45-yard line with just under four minutes left. Two plays later, Brees hit a streaking Colston down the left sideline for 26 yards to get to the Panthers' 13.

On the next play, Brees threw a perfect pass to Moore in the back of the end zone to tie the game, and Garrett Hartley's extra point put the Saints ahead, 31-30, with 3:11 to play.

After the kickoff, Carolina started at its own 18, and Delhomme hit Smith on a 39-yard pass on the initial play. After the two-minute warning, Muhammad caught an eight-yard pass down to the Saints' 31.

Williams then took three consecutive rushes down to the 20 with six seconds remaining. Kasay came on for the field goal try, and, after a false start penalty, his 42-yard attempt went through the uprights with one second left, giving the Panthers a 33-31 lead.

The following kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Saints one last try for a score from their 40-yard line. With Brees 16 yards away from setting the single-season yardage mark, New Orleans took a delay of game penalty to back up five yards.

His pass attempt fell incomplete, and the Panthers came away with the win, while Marino held on to his record.

Kasay kicked a 45-yard field goal on Carolina's opening drive to give the Panthers an early lead midway through the first quarter.

After a Saints three-and-out, Kasay added a 26-yard field goal before the end of the first quarter for a 6-0 Carolina lead.

Hartley hit a 21-yard field goal early in the second to cut New Orleans' deficit in half. Kasay restored the Panthers' six-point lead on a 34-yard make with seven minutes left in the quarter.

Following an interception on the ensuing Saints possession, Carolina drove 29 yards in four plays. Delhomme found Muhammad open in the middle of the end zone from eight yards away to make it 16-3 with 3:09 until halftime.

The Panthers jumped out to a 20-point lead on the next play. New Orleans' Skyler Green fumbled the football on the kickoff return, and Dante Wesley picked up the loose ball for Carolina and ran 12 yards for the score.

The Saints got one of the touchdowns back before halftime. With only 40 seconds left before the break and New Orleans at the opposing 26, Colston made a leaping catch at the six-yard line and powered his way into the end zone to make it 23-10.

Game Notes:

Carolina has won six of the past seven against the Saints...The Panthers' win marks the first and only win by the road team in an NFC South intradivisional contest this season...Moore has eight touchdowns in his last nine games...Brees tied the single-season record with 10 300-yard games this season (Rich Gannon, 2002)...Kasay moved into seventh all-time in career field goals made. He now has 386, moving him past Nick Lowery (383).