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Panthers storm past Redskins 47-3
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Published: August 24, 2008
CHARLOTTE
The Carolina Panthers have one more preseason game left before their regular-season opener at San Diego on Sept. 7.
But after their 47-3 romp over the Washington Redskins last night, Thursday's preseason finale at Pittsburgh will be a mere formality.
The Panthers delighted a crowd of 71,770 at Bank of America Stadium with an inspired and inspiring performance, erupting for 31 second-quarter points and leading 34-0 at halftime.
This was the dominant performance that the Panthers were hoping to put on in preseason game No. 3, the game that the regulars get their most extensive playing time of the preseason.
The offense scored on seven straight possessions in one stretch, featuring the running of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart, the passing of quarterback Jake Delhomme, and the all-around playmaking of receiver Steve Smith.
The defense forced two turnovers that led to scores in the first half, went three-and-out on five occasions, and pitched a shutout until the final six minutes of the third quarter. The Redskins had 49 net yards on 28 plays in the first half.
"We progressed," Coach John Fox said. "Our biggest goal was to progress from Week 2 to Week 3, and I think we achieved that. It is what it is. It's one game, and we'll learn from it. We've got to look at the tape and grow from it and move on to Pittsburgh. But it was a good, good outing for us."
Williams rushed for 101 yards on nine carries and Stewart an even 100 on 10 carries, as the Panthers wound up with 228 yards rushing. Delhomme was 11 of 19 for 159 yards and two touchdowns, with one early interception.
"We've wanted to be able to run the ball here for some time," Fox said. "We've had success in some years, in '03 and '05, and when we haven't, we haven't. I think getting Jake back in there obviously helps us. Last year was a little tougher for the running game because people stacked the box because they didn't feel we could throw the ball effectively. Hopefully it'll be different this year.
The Panthers' 31-point second-quarter outburst seemed too easy at times.
The onslaught started seven seconds into the second quarter when John Kasay kicked a 28-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead, after Julius Peppers' sack and fumble recovery had set the offense up at the 19-yard line late in the first quarter.
Peppers' second fumble recovery of the night set the Panthers up at the Carolina 45. Smith scored six plays later by being opportunistic, on a play that started at the 32. Williams broke free up the middle but fumbled at the 20. The ball bounced forward, Smith picked it up at the 8, and raced into the end zone from there.
Stewart, the Panthers' top draft pick, then raced 50 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the next possession. He found a hole on the left side, broke one tackle, bounced outside and outran everyone down the left sideline. That made the score 20-0 with 5:22 left in the half.
Not to be outdone, Williams burst 60 yards up the middle for a touchdown on the Panthers' next possession, pushing the lead to 27-0 with 2:27 left in the half. He went through a large hole at the line of scrimmage, then had only to shake off a couple of arm tackles and outrun everyone to the end zone.
The Panthers then scored again in the two-minute drill. They went 55 yards in five plays over a span of 46 seconds, with Delhomme finding tight end Dante Rosario in the seam for a 24-yard touchdown with 56 seconds left in the half.
The first-team offense played one series in the second half, and Delhomme capped a six-play drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Smith to push the lead to 41-0.
Matt Moore replaced Delhomme at that point and the rest of the second- and third-teamers followed the rest of the night.
By night's end, Kasay had field goals of 29, 28, 52 and 29 yards.
"Tonight was a little factor of the ball bounced our way," Fox said. "But our guys executed well in all three phases. I liked our pass rush defensively. I thought our corners played well. Offensively, I thought we ran the ball effectively and moved the ball in the passing game enough off play-action, although we've definitely got to get better on third down."
The Panthers also got good news on another front. They were healthier than they had been in either of their first two preseason games -- a home win against Indianapolis and a loss at Philadelphia. Cornerbacks Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble played for the first time in the preseason, and only four players -- safety Chris Harris and receivers Muhsin Muhammad, D.J. Hackett and Ryne Robinson -- didn't dress.
■ John Delong can be reached at <jdelong@wsjournal.com .
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