CHARLOTTE -- The Carolina Panthers kept hope alive yesterday, beating the Atlanta Falcons 28-19.
The hope is probably flimsy and superficial. The hope probably will prove false, buried under the weight of injured bodies and superior opponents. But it is what it is, the legal dietary supplement for the insatiable wild-card appetite.
Carolina's victory raised the record to 4-5, not pretty on its face but pretty enough to keep the regular customers coming and the stadium beer moving Thursday night against Miami, enough to nudge along the wobbly theory that playoff redemption remains a viable option.
Receiver Muhsin Muhammad discards the wobble and buys the theory that Carolina can contend for the two NFC wild cards. Considering the field (Eagles, Giants, Packers, Bears, Falcons, 49ers, etc.), why not?
"I think we're at a major crossroad in the season right now," Muhammad said. "There are a lot of teams that are right there in the 3-5, 5-3, 4-4 range in the NFC. That's kind of the No. 5 and No. 6 playoff spots. Teams are going to be battling right there. When you look at the playoff picture, we have as good a chance as anyone with seven games left in the season to fight for one of those spots."
The Panthers returned to the ring partly because they played the Falcons, whose greatest tradition involves uplifting the spirits of downtrodden rivals. Carolina intercepted erratic Matt Ryan twice, and 17-year vet Jason Elam duck-hooked a 34-yard field-goal attempt that would have snatched the lead with 6:35 left. Atlanta still had time but let Jonathan Stewart take off on a 45-yard touchdown run.
The medley revived the smile on quarterback Jake Delhomme's face the same day that his best blocker, tackle Jordan Gross, broke an ankle and joined linebacker Thomas Davis on the shelf.
Delhomme started the season pursuing recovery from his Arizona playoff disaster. Instead, he opened a turnover delivery business, serving the Eagles four interceptions and a fumble. The spiral continued against Atlanta and Washington, jeopardizing his job.
With nowhere to turn, Coach John Fox shoved Delhomme back out there. The Panthers nearly regained equilibrium, but Buffalo rocked Delhomme with three more interceptions. Folks seemed a bit shaky about him.
"You couldn't blame them," Delhomme said. "Every time, pretty much, I was touching it, I was turning it over."
He has gone three weeks without an interception, his total holding at 13. Meanwhile, Chicago's streaking Jay Cutler has surged ahead in the dubious race with 17.
The Panthers resorted to a lot of no-huddle plays against Atlanta, with higher-percentage throws against an off-balance defense and considerable running. Delhomme, who entered the game ranked 29th among NFL quarterbacks, completed 15 of 24 passes for 195 yards and hit Steve Smith for two touchdowns.
"I had fun," Delhomme said. "I've had fun the last three weeks. It didn't get any lower than the Buffalo game, for whatever reason. I had to say ‘the heck with it' and keep on swinging."
Swinging into the shortest week one game under .500 means that Carolina could reach level ground by midnight Thursday. Anybody at .500 with six games left can see something like 10-6 on optimism's horizon.
The late Commissioner Pete Rozelle seldom had better days than the day he created the wild card. Rozelle wrote the book on keeping hope alive. Coach Fox, momentarily hopeful, can quote all the relevant chapters about competitive equals settling issues on the field.
"You play the game on Sunday," Fox said. "It's the way the game is, how it's always been and how it will be."
Except when you play the game on Thursday.
lrawlings@wsjournal.com.
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