1st quarter
Recap: The Panthers are digging deep into their bag of tricks on offense early. They ran a double reverse to DeAngelo Williams and also lined up Steve Smith at quarterback for a direct snap on the same drive. Both plays resulted in first downs. That crazy John Fox.
Big play: Defensive end Mike Rucker shows he still has a little something left, stripping 49ers receiver Arnez Battle of the ball on a reverse. Damione Lewis recovers, leading to a John Kasay field goal.
Big mistake: Jordan Gross was flagged for a late hit on the game's first drive costing the Panthers at least a field goal. Instead of a third-and-2 at San Francisco 31, the Panthers have third-and-17 at the 47. The next play results in an incompletion and the Panthers are forced to punt.
Comment: The Panthers get fancy earlier in the drive, but then with three cracks from the San Francisco 3-yard line they take Smith off the field for all three plays and run twice and throw a lob pass to Jeff King in traffic. Why isn't your best weapon on the field for those three plays? Explain that strategy to me.
Score: Carolina 3, San Francisco 0
2nd quarter
Recap: The Panthers go up 17-0 after Richard Marshall returns a Trent Dilfer interception 73 yards for a touchdown. Earlier in the quarter, rookie tight end Dante Rosario catches his first career touchdown pass from Vinny Testaverde. Everything seems to be clicking on both sides of the ball for the Panthers, but the Panthers lose a golden chance to build on their lead when Nate Clements picks off Testaverde late in the first half on a deep ball to Drew Carter.
Big play: Smith’s 16-yard gain on a reverse set the Panthers up with a first-and-10 at the San Francisco 12 leading to Rosario’s touchdown.
Big mistake: Dilfer’s pass on the right side of the field was terrible, leading to an early pick and a score by Marshall.
Comment: The Panthers are doing a nice job of mixing things up on offense but there is still some confusion on some play calls, forcing Testaverde to take timeouts. Smith and Clements are starting to get into a war of words. That’s almost never good news for the opposing cornerback.
Score: Carolina 17, San Francisco 0
3rd quarter
Recap: The Panthers get conservative in the second half on offense and it leads to a Testaverde interception and a three-and-out. The Niners take advantage scoring on a pair of Trent Dilfer touchdown passes to cut the lead to 17-14. However, after the Panthers next drive ends in a three-and-out, Michael Lewis fumbles a punt and DeShaun Foster scores to make it 24-14.
Big play: Lewis’ muffed punt gives the Panthers the ball at the San Francisco 11, turning the momentum of the game in favor of Carolina.
Big mistake: Testaverde’s pick on the first drive of the second half allows the 49ers back in the game.
Comment: The Panthers must have been getting a little tight after their 17-point lead – their largest of the season – was cut to three early in the third quarter. I like that the Panthers are lining up Smith in the backfield. It shows a little creativity on the part of Jeff Davidson.
Score: Carolina 24, San Francisco 14.
4th quarter
Recap: The Panthers put the game away with an impressive 14-play, 83-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that takes nearly nine minutes off the clock. Testaverde caps the drive with a touchdown pass to Jeff King in the back of the end zone.
Big play: With the Panthers basically playing for a field goal, DeAngelo Williams picks up 8 yards on a third-and-5 from the 49ers’ 10-yard line, setting the stage for King’s game-clinching touchdown.
Big mistake: You name it, Dilfer made it. The 49ers simply lack weapons on offense, which is why they’re one of the worst teams in the league.
Comment: Carolina’s defense was impressive today, recording six turnovers and six sacks and scoring once on a 73-yard interception return by Richard Marshall. Granted, it came against the 49ers, but Carolina's home losing streak is finally over. Next up: Four tough games against winning teams.
Final Score: Carolina 31, San Francisco 14