By Scott Garbarini Oct 24, 2006, 21:30 GMT
- Jake Delhomme's intercepted pass in the opposing end zone with under four minutes to play sealed the Carolina Panthers' fate in Sunday's narrow 17-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. According to head coach John Fox and his players, the game should never have come down to that point in the first place.
For the first 30 minutes, Carolina played like the team that virtually all the prognosticators were drooling over during the preseason. The offense moved the ball with precision, while the defense held Cincinnati firmly in check as the Panthers took a 14-7 lead into the break.
The second half was a different story, as Carolina's offense was constantly stuck in neutral and the Bengals methodically pounded the Panthers' usually- punishing defense into submission.
Carolina outgained Cincinnati 178-99 in total yardage at the half, but the Bengals rolled up 243 yards and 15 first downs following the intermission. In contrast, the Panthers netted a mere 99 yards in the second half and virtually abandoned a running game that was productive in the game's early stages.
That was only part of the undoing, however. Mistakes and breakdowns on Carolina's part wound up proving to be the difference in a hard-fought encounter between two good and evenly-matched clubs.
The Bengals' only sustained drive during the first half was initially stopped by Ken Lucas' interception of Carson Palmer, but the play was nullified because Lucas was flagged for illegal contact on receiver Chad Johnson. Cincinnati eventually turned the second chance into a touchdown.
Then there was the game's biggest play, which occurred near the midway point of the fourth quarter and the Panthers clinging to a 14-10 lead. On a 4th- and-1 from the Carolina 35-yard line, Palmer faked a handoff and heaved the ball down the right sideline for Johnson, who outleaped cornerback Chris Gamble and came down with the catch at the Panthers' three. Two plays later, Palmer connected with wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh for the go-ahead touchdown.
'We had our opportunities,' said Fox. 'Any time you go on the road in this league against a good opponent in a pretty hostile environment, you have to bring your 'A' game. We were a little bit off of that today and we just didn't play well enough to win.'
SHARING THE WEALTH
Although he struggled down the stretch, Delhomme had a terrific first half, completing 13-of-18 passes for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Both scoring tosses came to players who have played a limited role in the offense through the early portion of this season.
Delhomme's first TD pass was a seven-yarder to tight end Kris Mangum, who entered the game with only 48 receiving yards on nine catches. The score was Mangum's first since a one-yard grab against Minnesota in Week 8 of last season.
Carolina took a 14-7 edge into the half after Delhomme found backup running back Nick Goings down the right sideline for a 20-yard touchdown with just 47 seconds showing on the clock. Goings hadn't found the end zone since a five- yard run versus Atlanta on December 18, 2004.
'I came in in the hurry-up situation and I just ran a go route, outside release,' said Goings of the play. 'Im not sure where the coverage was, but I got open and was able to score.'
SUPERMAN SMITH
As usual, Steve Smith put together another productive outing for the Panthers. The All-Pro wideout racked up 126 yards on eight grabs, his third 100-yard effort this season. Smith also eclipsed the 300-reception mark for his career during the game, becoming just the third player in franchise history to reach that milestone. Muhsin Muhammad (578) and Wesley Walls (324) are the others.
Smith, who led the NFL with 1,563 receiving yards and tied for the league lead with 103 catches, is putting together another sensational campaign. Despite missing the Panthers' first two games with a hamstring injury, his 576 yards as a receiver is currently the third-best individual mark in the league.
INJURY REPORT
Lucas was forced to leave the game in the fourth quarter because of a hip pointer, but the Panthers don't expect the injury to keep him out of the lineup for this week's game with Dallas.
Rookie James Anderson started in place of Thomas Davis (ribs) at strongside linebacker and finished with nine tackles in his first career start.
Strong safety Shaun Williams, who had missed four consecutive games with a hyperextended foot, was back in the starting lineup on Sunday and compiled eight tackles.
Backup running back DeAngelo Williams sat out his second straight contest because of a sprained right ankle suffered in Carolina's Week 5 win over Cleveland.
Center Justin Hartwig, who's been sidelined with a groin strain since Week 1, was active for the Cincinnati game but was held out of the starting lineup in favor of Geoff Hantgartner, who has played very well in Hartwig's absence.
CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN
Sunday's loss slipped the 4-3 Panthers behind Atlanta and into third place in the rugged NFC South standings, which adds extra spice into an already intriguing showdown with a dysfunctional Dallas squad this Sunday.
The Cowboys have been the league's biggest soap opera this season, mainly because of the repeated antics of troubled wide receiver Terrell Owens. Now Dallas has an additional distraction in the form of a quarterback controversy, as veteran Drew Bledsoe was benched in favor of youngster Tony Romo during the second half of Monday's 36-22 home loss to the rival New York Giants.
Carolina will be looking to avenge a 24-20 defeat to the Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium during Week 16 of last season, a loss which cost the Panthers a chance at the NFC South title.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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