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The Panthers were looking like they were in decent shape going into the 4th quarter with a 14-10 lead, but the Cowboys came alive in the 4th quarter and scored 25 unanswered points.  Jake Delhomme completed 17 of 31 passes for 149 yards and an interception.  Delhomme was victimized by alot of dropped passes.  DeShaun Foster carried the ball 15 times for 50 yards (3.3 ypc) and a TD, he also caught 4 passes for 31 yards.  Steve Smith caught 6 passes for 55 yards and ran the ball 1 time for 24 yards and a TD.

S Mike Minter led the way with 15 tackles on defense.  The Cowboys ran the ball 38 times for 156 yards (4.1 ypc).  The Cowboys completed 24 of 36 passes for 258 net yards passing.

The Panthers have been moving the football, but not putting points on the board as they average 17.6 points per game.  The running game has been a little below par, averaging 96.7 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry.  The passing game is netting 208.9 yards per game and the Panthers are completing 59.8% of their passes.

The defense is allowing 18.3 points per game this season.  The Panthers get pushed around a little in the running game as they allow 114.6 yards rushing per game.  The Panthers pass defense has also been generous to opposing offenses allowing 206.6 net yards and 59.8% completions.

These two teams are both coming off of tough losses and need to rebound to get their season back on track.

The Cowboys will try to run the ball against the Panthers who are a little soft defending it (114.6 yards per game, 4.0 yards per carry).  That means plenty of work for Julius Jones (524 rushing yards) and Marion Barber (215 rushing yards).  When the Cowboys decide to pass, they better protect Tony Romo or Julius Peppers (8 sacks) will beat him up and force him to make mistakes.  The Cowboys do have a lot of weapons to attack the Panthers secondary (206.6 yards passing allowed).  Terry Glenn, Terrell Owens and Jason Witten could cause trouble for the Panthers, if the Cowboys can protect Romo….and that’s a huge if!

The Cowboys defense has been really tough this season allowing only 287.3 yards per game, but they were exposed Monday night against the Giants.  The Cowboys safeties are slow with help over the top and Steve Smith could have a huge football game against them!  Also look for Keyshawn Johnson to be motivated to have a big game against the Tuna.  DeShaun Foster (490 yards rushing) is having a good season and will test the Cowboys front seven after what Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs did to them last week.

I have to side with the Panthers, because I have a feeling Tony Romo is gonna be under constant heat all game from the Panthers pass rush….and he will throw some passes up for grabs.

The Panthers just couldn’t finish the Bengals off, and in the end…..the Bengals prevailed.  Jake Delhomme completed 20 of 34 passes for 238 yards with 2 TDs and an INT.  RB DeShaun Foster carried the ball 14 times for 59 ards (4.2 ypc).  WR Steve Smith caught 8 passes for 126 yards, but he dropped a couple passes that he should have caught.  Keyshawn Johnson caught 4 passes for 41 yards.  Nick Goings and Kris Mangum each caught a TD pass.

The defense just couldn’t get off the field in the second half.  The Bengals ran the ball 30 times for 112 yards (3.7 ypc).  The Bengals completed 23 of 39 passes for 230 net yards passing.

The Panthers should have won this football game.

This football game pits two teams against each other that are moving in different directions.  The Panthers are rolling and have won 4 straight games, while the Bengals have lost their last two games.

The Panthers are starting to click on offense.  Steve Smith is finally healthy and that will cause huge problems for the Bengals defense.  Smith already has 31 receptions for 450 yards this season.  But the Panthers will not come out throwing in this game….not with the Bengals run defense allowing 140.4 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry!  Look for DeShaun Foster to have a huge game against the Bengals defense.  Foster has 431 yards rushing (3.8 ypc) this season and will add many more by the time this game is over.  QB Jake Delhomme has played well this season (1,343 yards passing, 83 QB rating).  Look for Delhomme to throw the ball after the Panthers establish their running game.  Smith and Keyshawn Johnson (32 rec, 419 yards) form a deadly combination at wide-out so the Bengals DBs will have their hands full.

When the Bengals have the football, look for them to try to run the ball with Rudi Johnson (405 yards rushing) against a Panther run defense that is allowing 115.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  Also, look for Carson Palmer (1,178 yards passing, 90.1 QB rate) to throw short passes to TJ Houshmandzadeh (23 rec, 291 yards) and Chad Johnson (24 rec, 300 yards) because the line has had trouble with protecting on long passes.  Palmer has already been sacked 17 times this season, and DE Julius Peppers already has 8 sacks by himself! 

This should be a good football game that will probably be decided by who protects the football better…..Jake Delhomme or Carson Palmer. 

 

Rookie running back DeAngelo Williams will miss up to a month with a sprained ankle.  Nick Goings and Eric Shelton will get a few carries in his absence.

DE Julius Peppers has been the most dominant defensive player in the NFL.  Peppers is unstoppable so far!  Peppers has 34 tackles, 8 sacks, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.   LB Chris Draft has stepped up after Dan Morgan was injured….again!  Draft has 43 tackles to lead the team, a sack and a fumble recovery.  Converted OLB Thomas Davis has adjusted well to his new position and has 38 tackles.  Rookie CB Richard Marshall is a big-play machine so far.  Marshall has 27 tackles, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery.

This was a huge win for the Panthers!  The Panthers really surprised the Ravens and came out throwing the football.  Jake Delhomme had a good game, completing 24 of 39 passes for 365 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INT.  DeShaun Foster had a rough game, but that was probably anticipated against the Ravens strong front 7 on defense.  Foster had 26 carries for 58 yards (2.2 ypc).  Steve Smith had a fantastic game, catching 8 passes for 189 yards and a TD!  Drew Carter also had a good game, catching 4 passes for 65 yards and a TD.  Keyshawn Johnson added 5 catches for 46 yards.

The Panthers played a good game on defense, led by DE Julius Peppers who had 5 tackles and 2 sacks.  MLB Chris Draft also had a huge game.  Draft had 6 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.  Rookie CB Richard Marshall continued his fine play with another interception today.  The Panthers held the Ravens to 80 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.6 ypc).  The Ravens completed 19 of 35 passes for 212 net yards thru the air.

This was a solid win for the Panthers, who have now won 4 in a row after an 0-2 start.

This should be a hard-hitting, low-scoring football game.  Neither team has been lighting up the scoreboard with Carolina averaging 17.2 points per game and the Ravens scoring 17.8 points per game.  The Ravens defense has been awesome this season allowing 9.2 points per game and only 219.6 yards of offense per game!

The Panthers come into this game needing to protect the football against the greedy Ravens defense.  To do that, they will need to have some semblence of a running game.  DeShaun Foster has been good this season (373 rushing yards), but he’ll have to go alone against the Ravens because DeAngelo Williams is out for this game.  If the Panthers can be effective running the ball (Ravens allow only 73.8 yards rushing per game and 2.9 yards per carry), then the pass rush of the Ravens will have to slow down a little bit.  The Ravens already have 18 sacks and 9 interceptions this season and have held opposing QBs to a 52.0 QB rating.  If given time, Delhomme should be able to get the ball to Keyshawn Johnson (27 rec, 373 yards) and Steve Smith (23 rec, 261 yards).  Smith has to catch the ball when it hits his hands this week, because the Ravens defense won’t give them alot of opportunities to score.

The Ravens prefer to run the football, but it hasn’t worked out to well for them this season.  The Ravens have only averaged 97.2 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry.  That is hard to believe with Jamal Lewis, Mike Anderson and Musa Smith at running back.  Nevertheless, look for the Ravens to come out running with Jamal Lewis (311 rushing yards) to start the game.  If the Ravens get the running game going (the Panthers allow 122.0 yards rushing per game) then Steve McNair can run some play-action passes and take a few shots deep to his buddy Derrick Mason (23 rec, 310 yards).  The linebackers and safeties of the Panthers will be challenged by TE Todd Heap who has already caught 22 passes for 180 yards with 3 TDs.  McNair can be forced into mistakes if the Panthers bring the heat, and you know Julius Peppers will be in his grill a few times on Sunday.

This should be a great football game.  I think the QB that makes the least mistakes wins this football game.