• Originally published November 15, 2009 at 9:26 p.m., updated November 15, 2009 at 9:28 p.m.

PHOTOS () —

By Charles Chandler

McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the second straight game, the Carolina Panthers lost a key player to a season-ending injury and watched an 11-halftime lead dwindle.

Last week, that resulted in a 10-point loss at New Orleans. But it was different Sunday inside sun-splashed Bank of America Stadium.

Showing mettle that defied their circumstances, the Panthers used three big plays and two untimely Atlanta mistakes — all in the final seven minutes — to hold on for a 28-19 win against the Falcons.

Coach John Fox jumped at the opportunity when asked to discuss how his team had responded to adversity over the past three weeks, sandwiching wins against Arizona and Atlanta around a near-miss against the unbeaten Saints.

"I'm proud of them the way they've fought back," said Fox. "We dug ourselves one heck of a hole (at the start of the season) at 0-3."

Even though the Panthers have won four of their past six, improving to 4-5, they march into their brutal finishing schedule minus all-pro left tackle Jordan Gross, who suffered a broken ankle in the second quarter.

Last week, starting linebacker Thomas Davis suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Carolina was further hampered Sunday because defensive end Julius Peppers played only on passing downs because of what Fox described as a "messed up" hand. Linebacker Jon Beason said there's a broken bone in Peppers' hand.

Carolina fought through it all, pulling within one game of the Falcons (5-4), who have the surprising midseason problem of dealing with turnover problems by quarterback Matt Ryan.

The Panthers' passing game, so dormant most of the season, showed signs of life in the first half as two Jake Delhomme-to-Steve Smith touchdown passes helped stake them to a 21-10 halftime lead. Those TDs doubled the number of scoring passes Smith caught in the first eight games, prompting him to creatively explain why it means so much to him to be an asset to the Panthers.

"I don't settle for just being on the team, happy to get a jersey," said Smith. "If I'm out there, I want to contribute ... I'm too ugly of a cheerleader to carry pom-poms and a skirt. I'm not into cheerleading. I'm into playing football."

Similar to last week at New Orleans, when the Saints roared back , Atlanta cut Carolina's lead to 21-19 by midway through the fourth quarter and looked ready to take the lead with 6 minutes, 39 seconds left when kicker Jason Elam lined up for a 34-yard field goal. Elam, 39, has been one of the NFL's most reliable kickers for years, but has struggled from medium range this season, missing previously from 34, 38 and 42 yards.

But on a sunny, 73-degree day with very little wind, he hooked it and missed wide left.

"I need to take that blame," Elam said. "It seems like everything that can go wrong is going wrong for me."

Lately, the same also has been true for Ryan, the Falcons' highly regarded second-year quarterback.

After Panthers' punter Jason Baker made a saving tackle to prevent a likely touchdown return by Atlanta's Eric Weems, Ryan got the ball back near midfield in good position to lead the Falcons to a go-ahead score.

Instead, Ryan's deep pass to receiver Michael Jenkins sailed high.

This pass was picked off by Carolina cornerback Richard Marshall, who returned it 28 yards to the Panthers' 49 with 3:45 remaining.

It was a redemptive treat for Marshall, who dropped a sure interception near the end zone in the first half and allowed tight end Justin Peelle to beat him for a fourth-quarter TD.

"I was just happy I made a play for our defense," said Marshall, who added that linebacker James Anderson's coverage on the pass made the interception possible.

The turnover continued a disturbing trend for Ryan, the No. 3 pick in the 2008 draft who had such a splendid rookie season . After completing 66.7 percent of his passes and throwing just two interceptions in the first four games this season, he has been picked off 10 times and completed 54.9 percent in the past five games.

"I'm young," said Ryan. "I've got a long way to go and a lot of improving to do ... . And I do think that you learn a lot more in your second season than you do your first."

Panthers' running back Jonathan Stewart is in his second season, too. He'd been playing well of late, but hadn't broken off a run longer than 28 yards_until Sunday.

Three plays after Marshall's interception, the Panthers faced third-and-4 play from the Atlanta 45. They needed a first down in order to avoid having to give the ball back to the Falcons' offense.

They play was a Stewart run to the left side_right where the Panthers had reconfigured their offensive line to account for Gross's injury.

New left tackle Travelle Wharton, who had moved over from left guard, was assigned to block straight ahead.

New left guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, getting the first extended playing time of his career, was assigned to pull to the left. He carried out his assignment effectively.

Rookie fullback Tony Fiammetta played a big role, too, blocking safety Erik Coleman to the ground.

Playing off of Fiammetta's block, Stewart cut sharply inside and found open sailing. The Falcons' defense had been stacked so closely to the line that he was able to run free for his second TD of the game on a 45-yard run.

"I realized I was untouched and I just tried to keep running as fast as I could to the end zone," said Stewart. "I think I ran all the way out toward the back of the pylon."

Stewart celebrated the touchdown on the sidelines with fellow running back DeAngelo Williams, who didn't pass up a chance later to jokingly "congratulate" Stewart on finally breaking a long run.

"It was nice to see him stretch his legs out," said Williams. "He hadn't done it in a while."

Williams and Stewart ran for 92 and 82 yards, respectively.

What was different about this game was the passing attack was effective, too. Mixing up plays from the base offense and a no-huddle style, Delhomme completed 15 of 24 passes for 195 yards. He threw no interceptions for the third consecutive week.

The Panthers barely had time to enjoy the win before moving into hurry-up mode in preparation for Thursday's home game against Miami, which is also 4-5. Despite the recent injuries, the Panthers are holding onto hope of making a late-season run for a playoff berth.

"I think we're at a major crossroad in our season," said receiver Muhsin Muhammad. "When you look at the playoff picture, we have as good a chance as any . . . I think we play well with our backs against the wall and no one has given up."

___

(c) 2009, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).

Visit The Charlotte Observer on the World Wide Web at http://www.charlotte.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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PHOTOS (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): falcons

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