CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It won't diminish the floodwaters in New Orleans or decrease the death toll. It won't rebuild a Louisiana home or reconnect a family. And it won't be cause for celebration on Bourbon Street because nobody is there to celebrate.

But when New Orleans Saints kicker John Carney's 47-yard field goal with three seconds left gave America's team a stirring 23-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers yesterday at Bank of America Stadium, it did much more than make the Saints 1-0.

"We knew what this game represented," Carney said.

The Saints knew because they heard it from Hurricane Katrina evacuees they had visited in Houston, San Antonio and Charlotte. They saw it from the small but significant group of hearty fans Katrina had evicted from their Louisiana homes who wound up at yesterday's game for a respite from reality.

They knew from the way kids' eyes widened and adults' hopes were raised when players entered rooms full of people who had lost everything.

"We were shocked at how excited people were about football and the Saints," tight end Ernie Conwell said.

Out of that desperation, a football team found determination.

So when his kick finally floated through the uprights, Carney thought first of those people before getting mobbed by his teammates.

"This ranks right up there (with his biggest kicks)," said

Carney, a 17-year veteran. “The evacuees we talked to communicated to us that the better we do, the better they will feel.”

They no doubt felt better than they had all month after the Saints won a game in a season bound to be defined by loss. Nothing served as a bigger reality check in the euphoric Saints locker room than the Louisiana identification badges sitting on a table, necessities for a team with no permanent address.

All the harsh realities of the last two weeks actually made playing football easier to approach, despite the nomadic life the Saints have lived, shuttling from California to Texas to North Carolina.

“It’s still a kid’s game, so go out and enjoy it because when you get back off the field, reality’s back,” said Saints coach Jim Haslett, who awarded a game ball to the city of New Orleans and Mayor C. Ray Nagin.

During a Saturday meeting, Haslett shared with the team an emotional letter from Nagin.

“He talked about the things he had seen, babies dying,” receiver Joe Horn said. “You would only see it in a horror story. People were crying on his shoulder, saying they don’t know where their son is, where the daughter is.

“I can’t speak enough about how our heart goes out to them. The letter had an impact.”

Deuce McAllister rushed for 64 yards on 26 carries, scoring on runs of four and two yards to fuel the Saints.

Stephen Davis ran for 81 yards and a touchdown, and Steve Smith had eight catches for 138 yards and a score to lead Carolina, which tied the score at 20 on John Kasay’s 46-yard field goal with 1:04 to play.

The Saints wouldn’t settle for overtime, though.

Aaron Brooks threw passes of 11 and 25 yards to Horn to move the Saints into field goal range. Carney then came onto the field to win a game that carried more meaning for New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast region.

“In the back of our minds, we know we have to give them one tiny bit of hope,” Brooks said. “We have complete faith in what we are doing because every time we go out there, it is our job to give them hope that every day will be a better day.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.