The Carolina Panthers have had plenty to be thankful for this season, and Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field left them with one more reason. After seeing a 21-10 lead evaporate and having to eventually pull off an unlikely comeback, the Panthers topped the Green Bay Packers and improved to 9-3 on the season and remained tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers atop the NFC South.
Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams, quickly emerging as one of the top running backs in the league, rushed for 72 yards on 21 carries.
Those numbers may seem a little slack, considering the production Williams has put up lately. Toss in the four touchdowns he amassed on Sunday, though, and you’ve got yourself a bona fide player of the week candidate.
Williams found the end zone twice in each half and scored the eventual winning touchdown in the waning minutes of the game. His four touchdown runs combined for a total of four yards—a sign that the Panthers’ red zone woes may have had a healthy dose of good play calling.
Carolina got off to a quick start and made a quick blunder. On the first play of the game, the Panthers attempted a flea flicker. Jake Delhomme took the pitch and slung the ball downfield, under-throwing Muhsin Muhammad, who had to slow his stride to make a play on the ball.
Muhammad made the catch and started for the end zone when he was hit and coughed up the ball. Charles Woodson recovered for the Packers and provided a jump start for the Lambeau crowd.
After a three-and-out, the Packers surrendered the ball. In the first 1:10 of the game, both teams had had one unsuccessful possession. The teams then traded three-and-outs and put a halt to the uneventful outset of the game.
On the Panthers’ next possession, Williams broke through the Packers defense and rattled off a 27-yard run to the Green Bay three yard line. Two plays later, Williams scored his first touchdown of the day and gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
The Packers responded quickly with Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Grant leading a push down the field that would fall short of the end zone but still produce three points.
Rodgers was solid all afternoon but was unable to produce when the Packers needed him most. He completed 29 of 45 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns, nearly earning a victory for his team.
Jonathan Stewart has been a valuable back up to Williams this year, and had put up nearly equal numbers before Williams went on his tear. Stewart saw his first substantial action in Sunday’s game in the second quarter just after the Packers put their first points on the board.
On the third play of the drive, Stewart showed why the Panthers chose him early in the draft, bulling his way through the Packers’ defensive front and rumbling for 43 yards.
Stewart had nothing but green pastures a head of him when he cramped up and had to slow down to a near jog. The Packers defense caught up to him and a hit from Tramon Williams jarred the ball loose.
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about 1 month ago
well done austin.
this game was pretty old-school, huh? and you called it right, "sneak" is an accurate word to describe what carolina did.
i think after the carolina performance and now this is green bay, panthers fans have cause for concern. there's been some talk of the panthers being a bit of a paper tiger.
the game, as you mention, on monday will go a LONG way towards showing what the panthers are made of. i think if the game isn't close, it could kill the fan's attitudes, the players momentum and possibly the playoff hopes for the panthers. it's pretty important...
from about 1 month ago
thanks dan. I also thought "sneak" was appropriate given the photo I used to go with the article. (many more rushing TD's and I'll have to start calling him Jake the Snake)
I don't doubt that there's talk of us being a paper tiger of sorts. We have done just enough to win in several of our latest victories, and haven't shown a killer instinct in a while. Big wins over ATL and NO early in the season had folks thinking we were the real deal, but our recent struggles against the likes of the Raiders and Lions, and then squandering the lead Sunday have shown a great number of weaknesses in our team.
Monday Night will be huge. There is simply no other way to preview it. There is a great buzz around this town but I've been following the Panthers since their inception and I know how these fans get around here. We spoiled the city with the NFC Championship appearance in 96 in our second season and people have never let that go as the measuring bar of success here. We are a fan base that loves the team when they're up, but rips them mercilessly when they are down.
This is our next-to-last home game of the season, and it's the last division game at home. We haven't lost in this building all year, which is a testament to the fan support we have seen at BOA this year. We have historically been a bad team at home and the excitement we have brought to the home field this year is unparalleled in this millenium.
The buzz for Monday's game rivals the buzz in 96 when the Cowboys were coming to Charlotte for the playoffs. If we beat TB, I can see the same reaction in the city. That will put us in the driver's seat in the NFC South and will keep the fans on the edge of their seats. If we can't pull it out, you're probably right, the fans' attitudes are likely to start fading away. And as well as ATL is playing right now, and with us having to go to NY to play the Giants before all is said and done, we COULD end up missing the playoffs. If that happens, I would hate to see this city and this fan base that Monday morning.
I'm absolutely jacked for it though, I'll be in the building!
Thanks for the comments man
about 1 month ago
At this point in their season, it will be very difficult for the Panthers to miss the playoffs...
from about 1 month ago
With the slate of games we have remaining and the number of teams who have the same or almost as good of a record as us, it's mathematically possible.
Until it's no longer mathematically possible, I'm not taking anything to the bank.
While I don't think we will miss the playoffs at all, I don't want to be that guy that tries to cash his check before Friday!
Thanks for reading and thanks for the comments!
about 1 month ago
This was a fun game to watch. I'm glad the Panthers were able to seal the deal after blowing the lead early in the game. Whether you guys win the division or even get in as a wild card, I see the Panthers as being a scary team to play against in the playoffs.
However, it's all up to how Jake Delhomme plays. As long as he plays better than some of the games I've seen the last few weeks (Oakland ring a bell?), the Panthers could go deep. Nice article here Austin.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks man. It was definitely a fun one to watch (although a bit nervewracking). The Panthers have historically been a scary playoff team and have never lost in their first playoff game. In 96 we beat the Cowboys with Aikman and Smith, and in 03 we went to the Super Bowl and lost to the Pats because we kicked the frickin ball out of bounds on the kickoff, and in 05 made it to the NFC championship game before losing to Seattle. Delhomme is a playoff-proven quarterback and our team always steps up in the postseason. I think if we can GET there, then we will improve and come together and (FINALLY) play four quarters of good football.
I agree with you that Jake is the x-factor for the remainder of the season. When he's good, we're good and when he's bad, we're not so good.
Thanks for the read and the comments !
about 1 month ago
Excellent article, Austin. As I read I felt like I was watching the game all over again.
from about 1 month ago
haha thanks man. I know, I have a tendency to be a little long winded. I always look at these things after i write em and I'm like "man, I know I need to slim this down" but I can't ever decide what can be spared. I like to recap the game as I saw it as best I can. I'm bad at putting in every detail.
But thanks for the props, and I'll cheer extra loud for you at BOA Monday Night!
PS-- If you have anything you want to chip into the Big Picture article for this week, try to send it to me tomorrow because I'm going to try to publish it tomorrow or Friday.
about 1 month ago
The fact that I felt like I was watching a replay of the game wasn't bad. As a matter of fact, that was really good.
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