Panthers Team Report
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Defensive end Julius Peppers will probably be a little lighter in the wallet this week—not that he can’t afford it, mind you—but he isn’t about to apologize for his late hit out of bounds on Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
On a key play in the game, Peppers chased down Rodgers as he rolled out of the pocket and hit him just as Rodgers was heading out of bounds, drawing a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down at the Carolina 7-yard line.
Fortunately for Peppers he got bailed out when the defense held on three plays and forced a field goal. Carolina’s offense, set up near midfield after a big kickoff return by Mark Jones, scored the go-ahead touchdown on its next drive to take the lead and win 35-31.
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After the game Peppers wasn’t apologizing for his hit on Rodgers.
“I’m not trying to judge whether he’s trying to step out of bounds, I’m just going for the hit,” Peppers said. “I’m not trying to hurt him or anything like that. The last thing I saw he was still out of bounds.”
Also, Peppers said he wasn’t going to take a chance that Rodgers, who had been rolling out of the pocket and been on the run most of the afternoon, was going to stay inbounds and turn it back upfield.
“A few plays before that he acted like he was going out of bounds and stayed in and got like five extra yards and a first down,” Peppers said. “I didn’t want to take that chance again. It’s just one of those things. It’s part of the game.”
Ironically, Peppers was credited with a sack on that play.
It gave him two on Sunday and 11 for the season. It marks the fifth time in his stellar seven-year NFL career that he’s reached double digits in sacks. He’s also two shy of matching a career-high.
Notes, Quotes
• DeAngelo Williams saw the bulk of the carries on Sunday after Jonathan Stewart’s left hamstring cramped up on a 43-yard run in the second quarter.
You could tell something wasn’t right with Stewart because after he broke through the line and appeared to have an easy touchdown, two defensive backs ran him down from behind. They forced him to fumble near the goal line. Fortunately for the Panthers, guard Travelle Wharton hustled down the field and recovered the ball at the Green Bay 3, preventing a turnover and setting up a Carolina touchdown.
“I cramped up right when I burst through the hole,” Stewart said. “My left hammy just tightened up. I tried to keep running. I think it was because it was cold and I wasn’t warmed up properly because I’d been sitting on the sidelines for a while. It’s a lesson learned.”
The only other injury was to cornerback Ken Lucas, who was shaken up after a hard hit but did return.
• Jake Delhomme was jokingly asked after the game if he should be considered a “running quarterback” now that he’s scored a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games.
“Let’s not say that,” laughed Delhomme.
Delhomme scored on a 1-yard run, faking a handoff up the middle and rolling around left end to give Carolina a 14-3 lead in the second quarter. He has scored almost as many touchdowns in the past two weeks as he had in his previous five seasons with the Panthers (three).
• Mark Jones had kickoff returns of 51 and 45 yards in the fourth quarter, both of which led to Carolina touchdowns.
“He was outstanding,” Delhomme said. “We like it when he has the ball in his hands.”
• In an effort to counteract their recent flurry of slow starts, the Panthers opened the game with a little trickery, going with a flea-flicker on the first play from scrimmage.
It worked for a 44-yard gain to Muhsin Muhammad, but Packers cornerback Tramon Williams stripped the ball out, and Charles Woodson recovered. The 44-yard gain was more than the Panthers had in the first quarter of their last two games combined.
“We started off and played aggressive right out of the gate,” Muhammad said. “We went after them aggressively. I thought it was a brilliant call. Of course I wanted to hang on to the football. But the guy made a great play. I couldn’t tuck it in because his arms were around me. He made a great play to get it out.”
• Richard Marshall, who had a rough game last week, gave up a 6-yard touchdown pass to Donald Driver in the second quarter, allowing the Packers to close the gap to 14-10. Marshall later gave up a two-point conversion pass to Greg Jennings, allowing the Packers to the tie the game at 21.
But he wasn’t alone - Ken Lucas was also beat for a touchdown by Greg Jennings, and Chris Gamble was beat by Driver on a 48-yard bomb.
• With Carolina leading 14-10 just before halftime, Green Bay center Scott Wells snapped the ball well over the head of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson recovered at the Packers 17.
The Panthers cashed in four plays later with DeAngelo Williams scoring on a 1-yard run. So instead of the Packers possibly driving for the go-ahead score, the Panthers took a 21-10 lead into the locker room.
• Things got a little chippy in the fourth quarter with Muhammad and linebacker Brandon Chillar getting into it.
Although the Packers were called for pass interference, the play continued because the pass was intercepted and Chillar took an opportunity to deliver a blow on Muhammad, who was just getting to his feet. Muhammad took a few swings at Chillar. Then, as things were winding down, tight end Dante Rosario came in and demolished Chillar.
Officials pretended not to see the entire fiasco, refusing to access any unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
“The guy took a cheap shot at me after the flag,” Muhammad said. “Emotions are flying and it was a real intense game, but I thought he took a cheap shot at me.”
Strategy And Personnel
PLAYER NOTES
• QB Jake Delhomme didn’t have much success throwing the ball on Sunday as the Packers took away a lot of what the Panthers tried to do in the passing game.
• WR D.J. Hackett was Carolina’s No. 3 receiver on Sunday over Dwayne Jarrett as coach John Fox went with experience over youth. Hackett didn’t see much action and didn’t catch a pass.
• G Travelle Wharton was extremely tough up front, paving the way for four DeAngelo Williams touchdown runs on Sunday.
• DE Julius Peppers had two sacks against Green Bay giving him 11 for the season.
• CB Ken Lucas was dinged up during Sunday’s game but did return.
• WR Steve Smith had all four of his receptions for 105 yards in the second half.
REPORT CARD VS. PACKERS
Passing Offense: B-minus—The Packers took away a lot of things in the passing game, but Jake Delhomme still made plays when it counted. He finished 12-of-17 for 177 yards. He didn’t throw any touchdowns but did run for one. Steve Smith came up huge with four catches for 105 yards - all of those coming in the second half. His 54-yard reception with under two minutes to go was a thing of beauty. Muhsin Muhammad had two catches early for 50 yards (and one fumble) but nothing after that. D.J. Hackett was shut out again.
Rushing Offense: A—As a team, the Panthers ran for 130 yards and five touchdowns, four of those belonging to DeAngelo Williams. Sure, his streak of 100-yard games came to an end (21 carries, 72 yards), but Williams was fabulous in scoring four times from the 1-yard line. He also contributed out of the backfield with three catches for 14 yards. Jonathan Stewart only carried four times for 58 yards after his hamstring tightened up. Guard Travelle Wharton was outstanding up front and is really earning his money.
Pass Defense: D—The Panthers secondary really struggled on Sunday, allowing Aaron Rodgers to move the ball almost at will. He threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers really struggled with Greg Jennings (8 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD) and Donald Driver (5 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD). Still, Carolina managed to get a late interception from Jon Beason to put the game away. They had two sacks, both by Julius Peppers.
Rush Defense: C—The Panthers still have issues with their run defense, allowing the Packers to pile up 145 yards on 29 carries (5.0 average) even though Ryan Grant left the game early with a hand injury. Backup Brandon Jackson gouged the Panthers for 80 yards on 11 carries. However, the Panthers came up with two big stops on second-and-1 and third-and-1 late in the fourth quarter to force the Packers to kick a field goal. That proved to be a huge stop as the Panthers then drove down and scored the game-winning touchdown.
Special Teams: A—Danny Crossman’s guys were outstanding on Sunday. Jason Baker pinned the Packers inside their own 5-yard line three times despite poor playing conditions, including once late in the game when the Packers sent everybody on an all-out block attempt. Returner Mark Jones was a game-changer with kickoff returns of 45 and 51 yards in the fourth quarter. He averaged 38.8 yards per kickoff return and 11.5 per punt return, numbers that will get you to the Pro Bowl.
Coaching: A-minus—The Panthers found a way to get things going early and I like the flea-flicker call to start the game. Sure, they almost let this one get away, but they made some great calls in the fourth quarter. So while John Fox and his staff will receive praise this week, look for Packers coach Mike McCarthy to be raked over the coals for not going for it on fourth-and-goal from the Carolina 1—even though it was probably the right call.
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