1st Quarter:
RECAP: It was all offense in the first quarter as both teams put together lengthy touchdown drives. We were expecting quite a bit of offense in this game and the first quarter proved to be no disappointment. The Panthers went to Steve Smith early and often, throwing his way five times on the first drive. The Rams came right back with a methodical 15-play, 67-yard scoring drive, converting five third downs. Steven Jackson (7 carries, 30 yards) looked unstoppable and you got a sense early on he would have no problem hitting 100 yards.
BIG PLAY: For the Panthers, it was Delhomme’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Drew Carter on third-and-8 from the Rams 10. St. Louis got a big play on a 12-yard pass from Marc Bulger to Dante Hall on third-and-6 at the Carolina 20.
BIG MISTAKE: Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe was flagged for a pass interference on Steve Smith, resulting in a 29-yard gain for the Panthers on third down, keeping the drive alive.
COMMENT: Jake Delhomme looked impressive on the opening drive, going 6-for-6 for 35 yards with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Drew Carter. He also ran for a first down with an 11-yard scramble.
SCORE: Carolina 7, St. Louis 7
2nd Quarter:
RECAP: The defenses caught up in the second quarter. The Panthers second drive ended with a missed 47-yard field goal by John Kasay and their offense went three-and-out on their next three possessions as the Rams completely shut down Smith. The Rams managed just three points as Carolina’s defense toughened up repeatedly once they got in Carolina territory.
BIG PLAY: Marc Bulger scrambled for an 18-yard gain on third-and-6 at the Carolina 32 to set up Jeff Wilkins’ 42-yard field goal at the end of the half giving St. Louis a 10-7 lead.
BIG MISTAKE: The Rams were twice penalized on punt returns, setting the offense back 15 yards each time. The Panthers hurt themselves with penalties, too. They had the Rams backed up to their own 8 before Kris Jenkins jumped off side (geez, that never happens) giving them some breathing room. The Panthers avoided near disaster on Justin Hartwig’s horrible snap out of the shotgun resulting in Jake Delhomme diving on the ball and taking a 13-yard loss. The Panthers had to punt from their own 10 and the Rams got a short field to work with, leading to a field goal.
COMMENT: The Rams lost seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace to a right shoulder injury in the final two minutes of the first half. Pace missed seven games last year with a triceps injury. Ken Lucas needs to keep his hands off the receivers. He was twice flagged for pass interference in the first half. Foster had five carries for 45 yards in the first half.
SCORE: St. Louis 10, Carolina 7.
3rd Quarter:
RECAP: It was a sloppy third quarter as both teams put the ball on the ground twice. Jackson fumbled twice and Foster and DeAngelo Williams both once. Foster’s turnover proved costly as it came at the Rams 5-yard line. Carolina got the big play with Delhomme's 68-yard touchdown strike to Smith
BIG PLAY: Smith burned Tye Hill for the score giving Carolina a 14-13 lead with 8:33 left in the third. Prior to that, Dante Hall returned the opening kickoff of the second half 84 yards to the Carolina 17 to set up a Rams field goal.
BIG MISTAKE: Williams fumbled around midfield early in the third quarter after picking up 13 yards on a screen pass and Will Witherspoon recovered for the Rams. But the Panthers got it right back on the next possession as Chris Harris stripped the ball from Jackson and Julius Peppers recovered. Jackson and Foster later traded fumbles.
COMMENT: Since allowing a touchdown on the first drive, Carolina’s defense has really played well up until this point. They held the Rams to a field goal after Hall’s big return and forced two Jackson fumbles. Deke Cooper had a big hit on Hall jarring the ball loose on a third down pass. Foster had 87 yards rushing at this point. The Panthers drove deep into Rams territory at the end of the third.
SCORE: Carolina 14, St. Louis 13.
4th Quarter:
RECAP: After a John Kasay field goal to start the fourth quarter, the Panthers padded their lead with a 12-play, 65-yard touchdown drive fueled by the running of Williams. Delhomme threw his third touchdown of the game and Carter caught his second touchdown for a 24-13 lead.
BIG PLAY: On a third-and-1 at the Rams 42, Williams picked up a yard to keep Carolina’s drive alive. On the next drive, Williams picked up a 12-yard gain on third-and-10 to help run out the clock.
BIG MISTAKE: Someone forgot to block Carolina defensive end Otis Grigsby on a fourth-and-2 at the Carolina 45. Bulger had to hurry his throw and the pass fell incomplete, all but ending the team’s hopes of winning.
COMMENT: Williams came up huge for the Panthers on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive with 33 yards on four carries, including back-to-back 11-yard runs.
SCORE: Carolina 27, St. Louis 13