Panthers hungry for more home cookin'
0 Comment December 15 Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler
"Ends and beginnings.
That's what Sunday was about for the Carolina Panthers, who blasted Denver 30-10 and added another jewel to a season that could end up as their crowning glory.
It was the end of the Panthers' regular season at home. They finished a perfect 8-0 at Bank of America Stadium. That's incredibly hard to do, but Carolina (11-3) managed it for only the second time in franchise history. The Panthers haven't secured a home playoff game yet, but I think their odds of doing that are 90 percent.
It was the beginning of the Panthers' final push for playoff seeding. Their final two games are on the road. The upcoming Sunday nighter on the road against the New York Giants is one of those games that will acquire adjectives like a Christmas sweater picks up lint. Suffice to say it is important - the winner gets the NFC's No.1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
It was the end of a short week for the Panthers, who had whipped Tampa Bay 38-23 only six days before on Monday Night Football. This could have been a trap game for the Panthers, but they refused to allow it.
Said quarterback Jake Delhomme: "If we come in here and lay an egg today, it's all 'Woe is us' and 'We can't handle prosperity' and things like that."
Instead, Carolina looked inventive once more - switching to a no-huddle offense on the third play, scoring at least 28 points for the fifth game in a row and punishing a decent Denver team that likely will make the playoffs.
It was the beginning of us all seeing Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson in a new light. Richardson, now on a heart-transplant wait list, showed up and sat in his owner's box, surrounded by family. He seemed more vulnerable. Less intimidating.
The team owner had a Panthers blanket wrapped around him. Running back DeAngelo Williams was among those who noticed Richardson's wife Rosalind tenderly re-arranging the blanket for him once.
"Kind of cute," Williams said.
Delhomme spent some time with Richardson on Friday and said the owner still seemed like the "Big Cat" to him, which is the players' affectionate nickname for Richardson. Added Delhomme: "I think the best medicine for him right now is us winning."
It was the end of the Panthers' defensive slump. Carolina had given up 22, 45, 31 and 23 during the past four games, then allowed 10 points on Denver's first two first-quarter drives Sunday. After that, though, the Panthers remembered how to play brutal and effective defense.
Denver - the No.2 offense in the NFL entering the game - came up with zero points on its final nine drives."
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