DeAngelo Williams' 122 yards rushing weren't enough Thursday night. (Photo by John Clark)

   CHARLOTTE – The Carolina Panthers season is over.
   You can hold out a faint hope that they're mathematically alive at 4-6, but the reality is this team has thrown in the towel. How do I know this? I could hear in their voices, detect it in their mannerisms. It wasn't hard. When I walked into the locker room after Thursday night's 24-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins I was expecting a room full of angry men, upset over losing a chance at salvaging their season.
   Instead, there was an aura of acceptance.

John Kasay converted on all three field goal attempts, giving him 397 for his career. (Photo by John Clark)

Here are the grades from Thursday night's game...

RUN OFFENSE: B+
   If there was a problem with the run game it's that the Panthers didn't do enough of it. They ran for 182 yards and averaged 6.7 yards per carry on the ground but called 26 run plays and 47 pass plays (42 pass attempts, four sacks and one Jake Delhomme scramble). The Panthers surprising went away from their running game near the goal line, except for DeAngelo Williams’ two-point conversion run. Williams had 122 yards and averaged 9.4 yards per carry, buoyed by a long run of 50 yards that wound up yielding no points. The Panthers had seven trips inside Miami territory, yet came away with only one touchdown and three field goals.

PASS OFFENSE: D-
   It was obvious the game plan was to get Steve Smith the football against Miami’s two rookie cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Shaun Smith.

Panthers LT Travelle Wharton gives up a sack to Jake Delhomme. (Photo by John Clark)

  CHARLOTTE – Moving the ball doesn’t seem to be a problem for the Carolina Panthers.
   Scoring, well, that’s another issue.
   Not unlike the Buffalo game four weeks ago, the Panthers put up big yardage numbers (385) and had plenty of first downs (22) but couldn’t find the end zone and lost a crucial game to the Miami Dolphins 24-17 in their first appearance ever on Thursday night.
   Although the Panthers managed a fourth quarter touchdown by Steve Smith, it was missed opportunities in the red zone that would be their demise in this battle of 2008 division winners.

Steve Smith had seven grabs for 87 yards and a TD. (Photo by John Clark)

   CHARLOTTE -- Twice in a week Steve Smith has given the Carolina Panthers an injury scare, only Thursday’s scare came hours before a game with the Miami Dolphins.

   Smith was involved in a minor automobile wreck on the way to Bank of America Stadium. Team spokesman Charlie Dayton said somebody “bumped into Smith.”

   The collision occurred on Colony Drive in the South Charlotte area.