The win-less Carolina Panthers are sticking with Jake Delhomme as their starting quarterback even though he has seven interceptions in the first three games.  Delhomme played terrible in the opener and had costly late-game interceptions in his last two games against the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys.  Delhomme didn’t play terrible against the Cowboys though, and Steve Smith was more to blame for the late game interception by Delhomme, as Smith broke off his slant route.

In three games so far this year, Delhomme has only two touchdowns compared to seven interceptions on 54/91 (59.3%) pass attempts.  He has been sacked seven times and has fumbled it twice and has a quarterback rating of 54.3.  I don’t think the Panthers  have much of an option when it comes to their quarterbacks though, as Delhomme’s back-ups are A.J. Feeley and Matt Moore.   Feeley was picked up after week one after Delhomme’s original backup Josh McCown got injured and is out with a knee injury.  Moore has not played since 2007.  Neither quarterback has ever really been a number one starter and both aren’t really a good option to turn to, even with Delhomme’s struggles.

Delhomme really needs to step it up though, or he will be out soon.  Jeff Garcia was just released by the Eagles, so could you be seeing him in a Panthers uniform soon?  He would be a better option than Delhomme with the way this year has gone so far, so it wouldn’t hurt to try.

The Carolina Panthers (0-3) fell to the Dallas Cowboys (2-1) Monday night and are still looking for their first win of the 2009 season.  The Panthers’ offense struggled once again and was the reason they lost this one in Dallas Monday night.  They did get on the board first when Jake Delhomme hooked up with Dante Rosario for a 25-yard touchdown.  The Panthers failed to get any more points the rest of the game but the Panthers defense did a pretty good job, as they kept the Cowboys scoreless until the 3rd quarter when the Cowboys hit a field goal.

Jake Delhomme continued to struggle tonight as he had two interceptions and a fumble and was sacked three times.  One of those interceptions wasn’t really his fault, as receiver Steve Smith stopped his slant route and the Cowboys’ Terence Newman picked it and returned it easily for six.  This came late in the 4th quarter and it sealed the win for the Cowboys.

The Panthers defense did a good job containing the Cowboys passing game, as Romo had no touchdowns and 255 yards passing.  The running game is what killed the Panthers though, as Felix Jones and Tashard Choice combined for 176 yards and did a great job filling in for the injured Marion Barber.  Jones left the game though with an injured knee, so the Cowboys third string running back Choice got 4.6 yards per carry and a touchdown.  The Panthers are still win-less and have a bye next week to try and figure out how to get a win.

The Carolina Panthers (0-2) are in Dallas this week going up against the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) and are still looking for their first win of the year.  It has been a disappointing start for the Panthers after they won NFC South division last year.  Jake Delhomme has taken a lot of the blame for the Panthers slow start, as he has five interceptions already this year.  The Cowboys are coming off a tough loss last second loss to the New York Giants, and quarterback Tony Romo and the Cowboys do not want to lose two straight in their brand new $1.15 billion stadium.

Jake Delhomme has got to stop throwing interceptions and needs to take what the Cowboys defense gives them.  The Panther should try and control the ball and keep their time of possession up as high as they can.  The longer the ball is out of Romo’s hands the better.  A strong running attack behind DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart will be key for the Panthers, or else they don’t have a chance.

The Cowboys turned the ball over four times against the Giants, and they still almost one the game.  That just goes to show how explosive the Cowboys offense can be.  It also shows how erratic they can be, and the Panthers need to get some turnovers if they want to win.  I think the Cowboys have too much talent for the Panthers to handle though and I think they will win easily.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Panthers 20, Cowboys 41

The Panthers are having serious issues stopping the run as opponents are averaging 168.0 yards rushing per game this season.  But, you can’t really blame linebacker Thomas Davis for that.  He is leading the Panthers’ D with 28 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss this season.  With the defensive line in flux right now the Panthers need Davis to keep playing at a high level.

The Panthers have serious issues on defense and they need to protect Jake Delhomme.  The best way to accomplish both of those goals is by controlling the clock with the running game.  It’s not like they don’t have the horses to do exactly that.  DeAngelo Williams will get the ball more often than Stewart.  He has carried the ball 30 times for 116 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs this season and he has also caught 7 passes for 74 yards (10.6 avg).  He can do better just like he did last season.  Jonathan Stewart is a little gimpy right now so the Panthers can keep him on a hit count.  Stewart has carried the ball 20 times for 100 yards (5.0 ypc) and he has caught 5 passes for 46 yards (9.2 avg) so far this season.  The Cowboys allow 135.5 yards rushing per game this season so look for Williams and Stewart to get a lot of work on Monday Night.