Carolina Growl
Five things to watch: Will Delhomme rise to the occasion... or fall apart? E-mail
Written by Steve Reed   
Friday, October 30, 2009 11:24 pm
Jake

Can Jake Delhomme rebound from his six-turnover performance vs. Arizona in the playoffs? (Photo by John Clark)

Five things to watch on Sunday vs. the Cardinals:

1. Will Jake exorcize his demons? It's not too hard to find a storyline for this game, now is it? Things started to go South for Jake Delhomme in the NFC Divisional playoffs last year against Arizona when he turned the ball over six times. Now Delhomme has a chance to exorcise those demons by bouncing back with a big game. He has 13 interceptions this year, but coach John Fox is sticking with him. The big question is whether or not Delhomme will be on a short leash.


2. Can the Panthers run the football? The Panthers strength is still their running game, but they go from facing the league’s worst rushing team (Buffalo) to the best this week in Arizona. The Panthers had only 116 yards against a team that was giving up 181.6 yards per game last week. The Cardinals are allowing just 67.5 yards per game, although Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt will tell you that’s largely misleading because many of their opponents have abandon the running game early after falling behind early.
3. Will the defense keep playing hard? Carolina’s defense hasn’t been the problem the last three weeks. The issue has been turnovers have put them in some bad spots. Last week, for instance, the Bills scored 17 of their 20 points on drives that started inside the Carolina 30. Of the last five touchdowns the Panthers defense has surrendered, four have started inside the Carolina 30. That’s pretty discouraging for any defensive unit.
4. Will Carolina’s special teams hold up? The Panthers have screwed up in just about every area imaginable in this phase of the game. They’re one of only two teams to allow a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown. They’ve fumbled a punt, had a field goal blocked and punt blocked. Not exactly things you’ll put on your resume if you’re a special teams coach in the NFL.
5. Can the replacements step up?. The Dwayne Jarrett train pulls out of the station on Sunday as the third-year pro gets the start with Muhsin Muhammad out this week. Jarrett has only one previous start in his career and he caught one pass for 4 yards. He should be more involved this week as the Panthers will need to throw the football more.