By MIKE CRANSTON
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C.(AP) -- DeAngelo Williams was dominant and set a
team record, Julius Peppers was spectacular and Sherrod Martin
came out of nowhere to produce two of Carolina's six forced
turnovers.
Yet the game ball from the Panthers' surprisingly easy 34-21 win
over Arizona Sunday went to the guy who spent the fourth quarter
getting a CT scan: embattled quarterback Jake Delhomme.
"That one is for No. 17," backup QB Matt Moore said.
Delhomme was back at Bank of America Stadium on Monday to watch
the film of the unlikely victory. Coach John Fox said Delhomme
has "some soreness, but feels good" after his chest injury and
subsequent hospital visit. Meanwhile, his teammates finally did
enough so Delhomme could just manage the game and not have to
win it himself.
Delhomme entered the game with an NFL-high 13 interceptions and
the Panthers with a league-worst minus-14 turnover margin. Three
hours later, Delhomme had his first turnover-free game of the
season and the Panthers forced Kurt Warner into five
interceptions and a lost fumble.
Yes, the Panthers harassed Warner into the same six-turnover
performance that Delhomme produced in the ugly playoff loss to
the Cardinals in January that started his downfall.
"I actually read things today that we weren't trying as hard,"
Fox said. "The fact of the matter is when you turn the ball over
at the rate we've turned it over we were fortunate to be at 2-4
prior to Sunday's game. We definitely had to get that fixed."
They did by returning to the style that Fox craves: a dominant
running game combined with a hard-hitting, opportunistic
defense.
The Panthers ran it right at the Cardinals' then-No. 1 ranked
rushing defense. They ran it at eight-man fronts. They ran it on
normal passing downs. They ran it so much (44 rushes to 15
passes) that Delhomme and Moore did not complete a single pass
in the second half.
Williams had a career-long 77-yard run on the way to a 158-yard
day that moved him past DeShaun Foster as the franchise's
all-time leader in yards rushing. Jonathan Stewart added 87 more
yards and two touchdowns. The 270 yards rushing was the
second-most in team history.
"I think we've run the ball pretty effectively over the last
month," Fox said. "That's not the area we've been concerned
with."
That would be the passing game. Fox debated benching Delhomme
last week after he threw three more picks in a home loss to
Buffalo. He decided to stick with him, then watched Delhomme be
unspectacular - and mistake-free.
He completed 7 of 9 passes for 90 yards in the first half,
including a 50-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith. It was
Smith's first TD and Delhomme's first touchdown pass to a wide
receiver all season.
The running game and the defense, though, took center stage.
Peppers, who was criticized for his slow start and his $1
million-a-game salary, continued perhaps the best stretch of his
career. He had a leaping interception and 13-yard return for a
touchdown. He later sacked Warner and forced a fumble that all
but ended Arizona's comeback hopes.
"All of the naysayers and people that are saying this and that
about Julius Peppers, well you can say what you want about him,
but we love him," linebacker Thomas Davis said.
A newcomer helped, too. Rookie Sherrod Martin, starting at free
safety for Charles Godfrey (ankle), had two interceptions. He
was part of a secondary that contained one of the NFL's most
feared passing games.
That took the pressure off Delhomme at a critical point in his
career. Sure, he was 0 for 5 passing in the second half before
leaving after getting crunched by two Cardinals. But Delhomme,
who expects to play Sunday at New Orleans, avoided the mistakes
that have plagued his season.
"I was looking forward to getting back out there and just
playing," Delhomme said. "And I think we did that."
It left the Panthers only 3-4 with a game against one of the
NFL's best up next. But the performance was welcomed and needed
by the coach, quarterback and his teammates.
"The biggest thing is just getting those turnovers flipped
around," Fox said. "Maybe sometimes too much is put on '08. I
mean we're in '09 now. Last year is last year and for this
season at this point, I think that should do something to boost
our confidence."
News
