DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have had a hard time running the ball this season as opposing teams have been loading the box with 8 and 9 defenders daring Jake Delhomme to beat them with the passing game.  Williams has only 220 yards rushing this season and he is only averaging 3.7 yards per carry.  He has also caught 11 passes out of the backfield for 103 yards (9.4 avg) this season.  Jonathan Stewart has carried the ball 33 times for 138 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run this season and he has caught 8 passes for 69 yards (8.6 avg).  Besides WR Steve Smith, Williams and Stewart are the best two players on the offense and the Panthers need to get them going or it’s going to be a long season.  For that to happen though, Jake Delhomme needs to wake up.

The Carolina Panthers (1-3) finally got their first win of the year as they topped the Washington Redskins (2-3) at home Sunday.  The Panthers looked like they were on their way to another loss, as they were down 17-2 in the 3rd quarter.  They got nothing from their offense in the first half, but Jake Delhomme and the Panthers’ offense had 18 unanswered points in the second half.  The two points in the first half came in the 2nd quarter when Thomas Davis tackled Clinton Portis in the endzone for a safety.  The Panthers defense was very solid today and did a great job in the second half.

Delhomme threw his 8th interception of the year in the first half  when DeAngelo Hall picked him and nearly took it back for a touchdown.  Delhomme shook off the first half turnover and came out in the second half and threw two touchdown passes.  Delhomme was pressured a lot again, as he was sacked three times, so the Panthers still have a lot of room of improvement on offense.  The defense held the Redskins to 198 total yards and had one take-away.  The Panthers finally got the monkey off their back with their first win, but they still have a lot of areas they need to improve on, especially their running game.  They only had a 2.7 yards per carry average in Sunday’s contest.  The Panthers will look for their second win next week on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-5).

The Carolina Panthers (0-3) are at home for the first time in a month and are still looking for their first win of the year when they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday.  The Panthers are coming off a bye week, and hopefully for Panthers’ fans they were able to use that break to make some major adjustments.  The Panthers passing game and their run-defense are both awful and have really been hurting them.  They are giving up a league worst 183 rushing yards per game, and the Redskins have the talented Clinton Portis ready to attack.  If they can at least slow down Portis, then they can try and pressure the Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell into some mistakes.  Campbell threw three interceptions last week and has been very inconsistent all year.

The Panthers’ quarterback Jake Delhomme needs to step up, as he has thrown seven interceptions in only three games.  They are also only averaging 192 passing yards per game, which is never going to get you very many wins.  DeAngelo Williams has too much of the offensive load being put on his shoulders, and although he is having a solid year with 180 yards on 41 carries (4.4 avg) and two touchdowns, he can’t do it all himself.  The Panthers really need an improved Delhomme if they want to win this game, and if Delhomme plays well the Panthers should win.  Delhomme has been so bad this year though, so I don’t expect him to win this one.  I think the Redskins will win a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Carolina Panthers 23, Washington Redskins 28

Dante Rosario almost always has one game that makes you think he could be a star in the league and then the Panthers don’t throw him the ball anymore.  He is off to a great start this season as he has caught 6 passes for 89 yards (14.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  The Panthers would be smart to get him more involved in the offense because a good pass catching TE is a QB’s best friend when the O-Line is having problems with pass protection.  Maybe this will be the season that Rosario truly breaks out.

The Panthers have signed 35-year old DT Hollis Thomas to a 1-year deal.  Thomas is a huge guy at 6’0″, 340 pounds and he has a reputation of being a very solid run defender.  That is a huge need for the Panthers who are allowing 182.7 yards rushing per game and 5.4 yards per carry this year.  Thomas played in 3 games for the Rams this season making only 2 tackles before being cut.  He has now played in 165 games in his NFL career and he has made 479 tackles, has defensed 13 passes, 20 sacks and he has forced 8 fumbles.  The scary thing about Thomas is that he got cut by one of the very worst teams in the NFL so it’s up in the air as to how much he actually has left.  The Panthers have a bye this week so that should help Thomas get up to speed with the defensive calls.  The Panthers released 23-year old DT/DE Rashon “Sonny” Harris to make room on the roster for Thomas.  He played in 2 games this season for the Panthers and he made 2 tackles.