It will be interesting to see how quick David Carr’s back heals after he watched the ancient Vinny Testaverde lead the team to a big victory last week over the Cardinals in Arizona.  Carr has completed 32 of 62 passes (51.6%) for 330 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs (64.6 QB Rating) so far this season.  He has been holding the ball way too long as evidenced by the 5 sacks he’s already taken this season.  Vinny Testaverde was somewhat sharp in his first game as he completed 20 of 33 passes (60.6%) for 206 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (88.7 QB Rating).  His TD pass was a bomb to Steve Smith which showed off his arm strength.  I would think the Panthers would start Carr against the Colts when they return from the bye week but I think he will have a short leash with Testaverde waiting in the wings.

Things were not looking good for the Panthers heading into the 4th quarter as they trailed the Cardinals 10-9.  But the Cardinals exploded in the 4th quarter and it was amazingly Vinny Testaverde who got it all started with a 65-yard TD strike to Steve Smith.  John Kasay added a FG and DeAngelo Williams had a nice TD run to seal the deal.  Testaverde came to the Panthers on Monday and he started today!  He looked pretty good for an old man as he completed 20 of 33 passes for 206 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  DeAngelo Williams was the star of the running game as he carried the ball 10 times for 121 yards (12.1 ypc) with a TD.  DeShaun Foster had a hard time finding running room as he carried the ball 17 times for 43 yards (2.5 ypc).  Steve Smith was a force today as he caught 10 passes for 136 yards (13.6 avg) with a TD grab.  The Panthers finished up with 181 yards rushing on 30 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 33 passes for 193 yards.

The defense played their best all-around game of the season.  Rookie linebacker Jon Beason led the Panthers in tackles with 9.  But it was DE Julius Peppers (7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, fumble recovery) and safety Deke Cooper (6 tackles, 2 interceptions) who were making the game altering plays.  The Cardinals finished up with 98 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 26 passes for 159 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=271014022

With Jake Delhomme out for the season and David Carr struggling with a bad back, the Panthers have decided to sign 43-year old QB Vinny Testaverde as an insurance policy.  Testaverde completed 2 of 3 passes last season for the Patriots for 29 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 interceptions.  Testaverde has now completed 3,693 of 6,529 (56.6%) passes in his NFL career for 45,281 yards (#6 all-time) with 270 TD passes (#9 all-time) and 261 interceptions (75.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 421 times for 1,639 yards (3.9 ypc) with 15 TD runs.

The Panthers will be without Jake Delhomme for the remainder of the season after he underwent serious right elbow surgery.  This is a huge blow to the Panthers as Delhomme was playing at a Pro Bowl level this season.  He completed 55 of 86 passes (64%) for 626 yards with 8 TD passes and 1 interception (111.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 6 times for 26 yards (4.3 ypc).  It will be now up to David Carr to keep the offense running at a high level if he has what it takes.  He has not played too well yet this season for the Panthers.  He has completed 32 of 62 passes (51.6%) for 330 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 interceptions (64.6 QB Rating) and he also carried the football 9 times for 33 yards (3.7 ypc).  If Carr’s back acts up like it did last week the Panthers will have no choice but to turn to undrafted rookie Matt Moore who has completed 1 of 2 passes for 43 yards this season.  Look for the Panthers to run the ball more with Carr at QB.