Panthers stun Arizona, get measure of revenge for postseason defeat
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PHOTOS () —
By Charles Chandler
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A regular-season victory could never fully eradicate a playoff loss, but the Carolina Panthers gained a measure of revenge Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals with their best and most spirited performance this season.
Boosted by three second-quarter touchdowns, a dominating running game, and a Herculean performance by defensive end Julius Peppers, the Panthers beat the Cardinals 34-21 Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.
This was the same Arizona team that came to Charlotte Jan. 10 and put a 20-point whipping on the Panthers to eliminate them from the playoffs.
Carolina hadn't been the same since — until Sunday.
"It's nice that we came and won, (but) we needed it more for the '09 Panthers than to bury something for the '08 Panthers," said quarterback Jake Delhomme.
Just one week earlier, Delhomme and the Panthers suffered a bitterly disappointing loss to Buffalo that nearly cost him his starting job.
On Sunday, however, the Panthers did to Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner what the Cardinals did to Delhomme nearly 10 months earlier. Warner was intercepted five times (twice by rookie Sherrod Martin) and he fumbled once.
That's precisely the number of turnovers Delhomme had in the playoff loss, an irony that sweetened the Panthers' revenge.
"It was a long time coming," said cornerback Richard Marshall. "A lot of us have been thinking about how they did us last year, so it was great to win today."
Warner said the win could help "kick start" the Panthers' season.
"They just outplayed us today," he said. "We didn't bring our 'A' game."
Carolina is 3-4 heading into next week's game at unbeaten New Orleans, which is considered by many to be the NFL's top team.
Arizona, which fell to 4-3, was favored by more than a touchdown, but wasn't able to recover from the Panthers' ferocious first half.
The Panthers jumped to a 28-7 halftime lead, but had to hold on in the second half when injuries began to take a toll.
Delhomme suffered a third-quarter chest injury and was taken to a nearby hospital during the game. Results of a CT scan were negative and he expects to play next week against the Saints.
Matt Moore filled in for Delhomme, but was only asked to pass once_an incompletion.
By the end of the game, the Panthers had lost both their fullbacks to injuries. Brad Hoover suffered a high ankle sprain and Tony Fiammetta a head injury.
Peppers was a force, returning an interception for a touchdown in the second quarter and chasing down Warner for a fourth-quarter sack to cause a fumble that essentially clinched the victory.
Delhomme had a solid performance, including a 50-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith, the first touchdown reception of the season for a Carolina receiver.
Against an Arizona defense allowing 67.5 yards per game, the Panthers amassed a whopping 270 yards on the ground, the second-best total in team history.
DeAngelo Williams ran for 158 yards and surpassed DeShaun Foster as the franchise's all-time rushing leader (3,352 yards to 3,336). Jonathan Stewart scored two touchdowns and rushed for 87 yards on 17 carries.
It was a wire-to-wire strong performance for the Panthers.
They scored on their opening offensive possession, going 74 yards in 15 plays on a drive that took up 7 minutes, 38 seconds.
Delhomme completed 4 of 6 passes on the drive for 35 yards, including a key 17-yarder to Dwayne Jarrett, filling in for injured Muhsin Muhammad.
The Panthers had four third-down conversions on the drive, which resulted in a 6-yard touchdown run by Stewart for a 7-0 lead.
The Cardinals countered immediately, driving 81 yards for a touchdown for a 7-7 tie.
But a 77-yard run by Williams on the next-to-last play of the first quarter put the Panthers in overdrive. It led to a 10-yard touchdown run by Stewart.
Later in the quarter, Delhomme threw a near-perfect strike to Smith for the 50-yard touchdown.
Then with 7:33 left in the half, Peppers intercepted a Warner pass and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown, giving Carolina a 28-7 lead.
Peppers had been down on the ground and temporarily injured on the previous possession.
The touchdown came on his first play back in the game.
He rushed from the Cardinals' left and was blocked low by tackle Mike Gandy.
Peppers stumbled, but regained his balance in time to leap high and intercept Warner's pass.
Peppers easily scored from there, getting into the end zone for the first time since 2004, when he scored the only other two touchdowns of his eight-year career.
The Panthers defense continued to harass Warner for the remainder of the half, as linebacker Davis and Martin came up with interceptions.
The Cardinals cut the Panthers' lead to 14 points with a 67-yard touchdown drive midway through the third quarter. The score came on a 1-yard pass from Warner to tight end Ben Patrick.
The Cardinals tried to rally late, but Peppers' sack and forced fumble closed the door on Arizona's comeback attempt.
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(c) 2009, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).
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Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): panthers
