CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees didn't hesitate when asked what he remembered about Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly during a Week 16 game at Bank of America Stadium last season.

"I remember 24 tackles and a pick," Brees said.

Kuechly tied the NFL record for most tackles in a game in the 17-13 victory over the Saints. That Brees remembered the exact number of tackles and that the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year had an interception shouldn't be surprising.

It was that memorable of an effort.

"The guy is a stud," Brees said. "He is all over the place. He seems like he's making every tackle and every call. He's as good a football player as there is in the league."

Kuechly hasn't slowed down this season. He has a league-best 89 tackles. Since arriving in the NFL in 2012 he has 402 tackles, the most by 39 over his closest competition -- Jacksonville's Paul Posluszny.

But nothing Kuechly has done was as impressive as his 24-tackle effort against the Saints.

The Carolina coaching staff actually credited the former Boston College star with two more tackles after reviewing the tape, but they're not in the official record book.

"He is around every play, just pick a game," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "He's very active, he's got great key and diagnose, he's a great tackler and he's just a fantastic player. You can just single-handedly grab any game film and he's going to be involved in a ton of plays."

The Panthers (3-4-1) may need another Herculean effort from Kuechly in Thursday night's game against the Saints (3-4) with first place in the NFC South on the line.

New Orleans is coming off arguably its best game of the season, a 44-23 victory over Green Bay. Brees completed 27 of 32 pass attempts for 311 yards and three touchdowns.

The Saints, led by Mark Ingram's 172, also rushed for 193 yards.

But New Orleans was hot when it came to Carolina last season with a 10-4 record. Two weeks earlier, in a Sunday night game against the Panthers in New Orleans, Brees completed 30 of 43 pass attempts for 313 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-13 victory.

He had only one touchdown and was sacked six times in the loss at BOA.

Kuechly's 24 tackles played a big role in that.

"I looked at the screen and I was ahead of him," outside linebacker Thomas Davis said of the tackle count. "Then I looked up again and he was like 10 ahead of me. It's exciting to see him go out and play that way. I feed off of his energy and the things he's able to do as a player.

"It makes me better. It makes our team better when he goes out and performs that way."

Kuechly remembers the monsoon-like rain that hit in the third quarter of that game. He remembers the game seeming like a "marathon" it was so tense with the division title up for grabs. He remembers winning.

He doesn't remember much about the 24 tackles, saying he's had better games.

"Stats aren't what make a good game," he said. "It depends on TD responsibility and if you're successful in your job each play. If you make a tackle eight yards down the field, it's not a good play.

"I've had some games where the tackles weren't there, but I played really good."

Regardless, none was more memorable than his 24-tackle effort against the Saints.