Panthers Team Report
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team/carolina-panthers/teamreport
Inside Slant
Defensive end Julius Peppers had two more sacks on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, giving him five sacks in the past two weeks and nine for the season.
He also forced his fifth fumble of the season, repositioning himself for a fourth trip to Honolulu and the Pro Bowl in February.
Peppers had a sack on Detroit's first series and later stripped Daunte Culpepper in the fourth quarter, accounting for one of four takeaways by Carolina's defense.
But after Sunday's game Peppers was more concerned about the things the Panthers didn't do right on defense rather his personal accomplishments, saying there's plenty of room for improvement. Rookie Kevin Smith became only the second running back this season to run for more than 100 yards against the Panthers.
"We have to watch the tape and see what we can get better on. I feel like we have to get better on our run gaps, for the past two weeks we have not been that good playing the run," Peppers said. "That's definitely a thing we have to look at. Other than that we have to see what went wrong."
Peppers also said the Panthers have to tackle better.
"That's another thing that sticks out from that game," Peppers said. "We have to do a better job of wrapping guys up and getting them down to the ground."
Coach John Fox said the Panthers need to start quicker on defense.
"We started a little slow defensively, more mentally than physically as far as where we fit," Fox said. "We did a couple of things movement wise where we didn't fit perfectly. But those are things we can fix. ... This defense is about fitting, whether you are fitting right in coverage or fitting right in the run. So we've done a little more defensively as far as moving the front and it only takes one guy out of the gap and it can cause a five or six-yard gain.
Still, he pointed out, "It's not like we have been awful. Two weeks ago (the Raiders) were under 300 yards and yesterday (the Lions) were just over 300. So we just have to come out and start faster against Atlanta. But overall I think that side of the ball has been pretty good. It's good that they have their bar raised pretty high."
Notes and Quotes
--Running back Jonathan Stewart, who ran for 130 yards on Sunday, said he felt like he finally turned the corner on a heel injury earlier last week.
He said it has been bothering him for most of the season and really flared up in recent weeks.
"I think Wednesday's practice was where I really was able to start hopping around a bit," Stewart said. "It's been really bothering me since I've been working out on my toe and getting that back. It's one of those things that has been lingering around, but I think it's better now."
--Rookie safety Charles Godfrey finally recorded his first NFL interception, picking off Daunte Culpepper late in the fourth quarter to help secure Carolina's 31-22 win over the Detroit Lions.
After the interception with 4:50 left in the game, Godfrey ran over to the sidelines and presented the ball to defensive backs coaches Tim Lewis and Mike Gillhamer.
"They've helped me out so much this year, they deserve to have something. I wanted to say, 'Thank you,'" said Godfrey, who also recovered a fumble on Sunday.
Despite the interception, Godfrey was already hearing it from his teammates in the locker room for not taking it to the house. He caught the ball at the Lions 20, but failed to dodge the 280-pound Culpepper en route to the end zone and was tackled at the 4.
DeAngelo Williams scored on the next play to put the game away.
"The cardinal rule is to never ever to get caught by a kicker or a quarterback," safety Chris Harris said. "He broke the cardinal rule today. He got tackled one on one by a quarterback. You don't do that when you have about 20 yards outside of you where you can run and dive on the pylon. So he will get it in the meeting rooms for a while, at least a week."
--After the Lions pulled within 24-22, they went for a two-point conversion, but middle linebacker Jon Beason stuffed Culpepper on a quarterback draw within a foot of the goal line.
"I think it was a good play call," Beason said. "It was a little counter play. They faked to both backs and Culpepper kept it. You've got a guy who is 265 -- and he's probably more than that right now, coming off the couch. I was able to get to him before he crossed the line. It was a big play for us, and we were able to keep that two-point lead."
Television replays seemed to show Beason grabbed Culpepper's facemask as he was falling to the ground.
--The Panthers dished out some big money to left guard Travelle Wharton and "franchise" left tackle Jordan Gross in the off-season, and they leaned heavily on those guys Sunday.
The Panthers ran behind their left side on DeAngelo Williams' 56-yard touchdown run and Stewart's 22-yard score.
Fullback Brad Hoover deserves a nod here, too.
"Our offensive line did a really good job of blocking today," Williams said. "Brad Hoover did an excellent job of picking up those linebackers and safeties. We had to do our job today of making a couple guys miss, break a couple tackles and get into the end zone."
--Jake Delhomme won his 50th game for the Panthers, more than any other quarterback in franchise history. Delhomme's record, including the playoffs, is 50-30.
Although Delhomme only threw one touchdown pass, coach John Fox was pleased with how he directed the offense.
"It's better than last week," Fox said. "You are going to have tough days. It happens. He's a competitor. He came back. As I said earlier in the week, that wasn't all Jake, just like today wasn't all backs. It was a big part of it, but our blocking element, our offensive line, tight ends our fullbacks were as big a part of it as anybody. Our performance was much better today offensively than it was a week ago."
--With one more sack this season, Peppers will reach double digits for the fifth time in his career. He also had 10 or more sacks in 2002 (12), 2004 (11), 2005 (10.5) and 2006 (13).
Strategy and Personnel
PLAYER NOTES
--OT Jeremy Bridges was inactive after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat before the game. However, general manager Marty Hurney said Bridges would be fine, and the problem is under control. He could play this week.
--QB Jake Delhomme threw for 294 yards and two scores in the last meeting with the Falcons in Week 4.
--WR Muhsin Muhammad had a huge game against Atlanta in Week 4, catching eight passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.
--RB DeAngelo Williams has run for 100 yards in three straight games. But he was held to 57 yards on 16 carries in the last meeting vs. Atlanta.
--WR Steve Smith hasn't scored since the bye week, but he had eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown in the last meeting with Atlanta in Week 4.
--C Ryan Kalil (ankle) did not play Sunday.
--C Geoff Hangartner started again last week for Carolina.
REPORT CARD VS. LIONS
PASSING OFFENSE: C-plus -- Jake Delhomme didn't have a great day, completing 10-of-19 passes for 98 yards and one touchdown. But unlike last week, Delhomme didn't throw any interceptions and he didn't take a sack. Basically, the Panthers were running the ball so well they didn't need Delhomme. Still, there's a sense Delhomme needs to get on the same page with his receivers because their production has dipped in recent weeks. If your team is running for 264 yards, there should be some plays open down the field. Steve Smith had another off game (at least by his standards) with 59 yards on six catches. He missed two potential big plays on slant routes that were batted away. Muhsin Muhammad dropped a third-down pass for the second straight week and had just one catch for 16 yards. Jeff King caught a touchdown pass.
RUSHING OFFENSE: A-plus -- The Panthers established a franchise record with 264 yards, and DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart became the first Carolina running back duo to rush for more than 100 yards apiece in the same game. Proving his heel injury is behind him, Stewart ran for 130 yards on 15 carries (8.7 avg.) and one touchdown. Williams recorded his third straight 100-yard game, picking up 120 yards on 14 carries (8.6 avg.) while scoring two touchdowns, including a 56-yarder. This was a matter of outstanding blocking on the part of fullback Brad Hoover and the offensive line, especially Jordan Gross and Travelle Wharton.
PASS DEFENSE: A-minus -- The Panthers intercepted Culpepper twice and sacked him three times, one of those resulting in a fumble. They also stripped tight end Michael Gaines of the ball, so they forced four turnovers with their pass defense. Another great game for Chris Gamble, who is quietly having a Pro Bowl season. Rookie Charles Godfrey came up with his first interception. The Panthers did allow an early touchdown pass from Culpepper to Calvin Johnson, but overall they played very well. Once the Panthers adjusted to Detroit's misdirection plays, they were fine. "They tried to do it over and over and it was working, but we finally made a good play (on Godfrey's interception)," Gamble said. Na'il Diggs also had a pick for Carolina.
RUSH DEFENSE: C-minus -- This was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the day for the Panthers as they allowed rookie Kevin Smith to run for 112 yards on 24 carries. The Lions came into the game ranked 31st in the league in rushing, averaging just 75.4 yards per game. Daunte Culpepper scored on a quarterback sneak for the Lions. Jon Beason did come up with a big play by stuffing Culpepper on a quarterback draw on a crucial two-point conversion that would have tied the game with 8:02 remaining. Defensive end Julius Peppers said the team's play against the run is concerning. "I feel like we have to get better on our run gaps," he said. "For the past two weeks we have not been that good playing the run. That's definitely a thing we have to look at."
SPECIAL TEAMS: C-plus -- John Kasay converted his only field goal attempt. Jason Baker's net average was just 36 yards, but he did pin the Lions inside the 10-yard line twice. Rhys Lloyd had three touchbacks on Sunday, but Carolina's normally reliable kickoff coverage team gave up a 46-yard return. Although he didn't make any costly mistakes, Mark Jones didn't have the best game return-wise.
COACHING: A -- Sure, the Panthers didn't come out looking real sharp, but they made adjustments. After going three-and-out on their first two series, the Panthers exploded for 21 points and 149 yards rushing in the second quarter. "I thought our coaches made some good adjustments early on," said coach John Fox. "Again, how you adjust is critical. I thought our coaching staff offensively did an excellent job. I thought even in the second half our defensive coaches did a good job because we were struggling with the run a little bit. Our players adjusted. That is what this game is about and we were able to get some things going offensively in the run game. It was a matter of adjusting."
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