As hard as this is to believe, the 1-4 Carolina Panthers will actually enter the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday in worse shape than the 1-3 New Orleans Saints.

This NFC South rivalry matchup has the feel of an elimination game, and it's only Week 6.

Unfortunately for the Saints, the Panthers appear to be getting healthier just in time for their trip to New Orleans. Injuries have taken a costly toll on the defending NFC champs during their current three-game losing streak. But reigning league MVP Cam Newton is expected to return Sunday.

Here are six players to watch, courtesy of ESPN Panthers reporter David Newton:

ESPN Stats & Info

OFFENSE

QB Cam Newton: Two plays in Monday night's loss at Tampa Bay showed just how much the Panthers missed Newton, who was at home in the concussion protocol. The first came on third-and-1 on their first series. Newton is almost automatic on the quarterback sneak on such plays, and the Panthers came up short. The second came on first-and-goal from the 1 in the fourth quarter of a 14-14 game. Derek Anderson threw a pass that was intercepted in the end zone. Newton again likely would have run it in. Newton appears set to be cleared from the protocol in time to face a New Orleans team he blistered for five touchdown passes and a passer rating of 122.1 last season at the Superdome.

RB Jonathan Stewart: The 2015 Pro Bowl selection has missed three straight games with a hamstring injury, but he appears set to return. His absence has been noticeable to a struggling offense in terms of picking up the blitz and rushing. But where the Panthers may have missed Stewart the most is in setting the tone with tough yards up the middle. He has averaged 2.05 yards per rush after contact the last three seasons. That's seventh among running backs with 300-plus yards during that span. Carolina probably could have used that on the two short-yardage situations mentioned above.

TE Greg Olsen: No tight end -- and few receivers in general -- are playing better than the two-time Pro Bowl selection. He had nine catches for a career-best 181 yards in Monday night's loss to Tampa Bay when the Bucs knew he would be a primary target. He ranks fourth among all NFL receivers with 513 receiving yards on the season. Only wide receivers Antonio Brown with 37, A.J. Green with 36 and TY Hilton with 35 have more catches than Olsen's 33. The Saints are familiar with this production. Olsen had nine catches for 129 yards in the Superdome last season.

DEFENSE

CB Daryl Williams: The Panthers were blistered by Brandin Cooks in the Superdome last season with Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman on the field. Cooks had six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. Now Carolina faces the prospect of going against Cooks with a rookie making his second start if rookie James Bradberry (toe) doesn't return. Even with Bradberry, the Panthers may not have anybody to match Cooks' speed.

DT Kawann Short: General manager Dave Gettleman has been criticized for not keeping cornerback Josh Norman, but he's looking pretty good in the decision not to make Short one of the top five highest-paid tackles in the league. The 2015 Pro Bowl selection that led Carolina with 11 sacks last season has one through five games. Kyle Love, added to the roster two weeks ago, already has 1.5 to lead all Carolina defensive linemen. Gettleman will get Short for a bargain if this keeps up, although the Panthers are paying now for the lack of production.

LB Thomas Davis: A hamstring injury limited him to 36 snaps (49 percent of the total), mostly on passing situations, against Tampa Bay. He normally is one of a handful of defensive players in for every snap. He is the heart of this defense. His ability to cover will be needed even more against a New Orleans team that ranks second in the NFL with 304.2 yards passing a game. If he's not 100 percent, that will put even more stress on an already stressed secondary.