Panthers Jake Delhomme scrambles to buy time Sunday. (Photo by John Clark)

Grading the Panthers after Sunday's win...

RUN OFFENSE: B+
   DeAngelo Williams started Sunday despite missing most of practice last week and ran for 92 yards on 19 carries, a solid 4.8-yard average. It appears his knee is just fine. Jonathan Stewart also ran extremely well, carrying 11 times for 82 yards, 45 of those coming on a touchdown burst with 1:38 left in the game to seal the win and prompting Falcons coach Mike Smith to slam his headset to the ground in disgust. All told, the Panthers ran 34 times for 185 yards, a 5.4-yard average helped tremendously by Stewart’s big run.

PASS OFFENSE: B+
   Jake Delhomme completed 15 of 24 passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns passes to Steve Smith. It’s the third straight week Delhomme has not turned the ball over and the Panthers are 2-1 in those games. Smith came into the game with just one touchdown reception, so he doubled his season output. Muhsin Muhammad, who returned from missing two games with a knee injury, came up big with a team-high six catches for 91 yards, four of those accounting for first downs. Maybe he's tired of being told he's 36, because he sure didn't play like it. Williams also had a 30-yard reception. Carolina’s offensive line, despite losing Pro Bowler Jordan Gross to a broken ankle in the second quarter, did not allow a sack. However, Travelle Wharton was flagged for two holding penalties after moving over to Gross' spot. Carolina’s offense looked great in the first half, but did sputter much of the second half until Stewart’s touchdown run, so there is room for improvement.
  
RUN DEFENSE: D
   Michael Turner had gained 111 yards on just nine carries  before leaving the game for good with a sprained ankle in the second quarter. Word is he has a high ankle sprain and could miss a few weeks. The Panthers had an easier time containing backup Jason Snelling (18 carries, 61 yards), but giving up 176 yards and 6.1 yards per carry is a bit of a setback for a unit that had been playing much better. The loss of Thomas Davis might have had something to do with that. The Falcons had a lot of lucking running wide and Carolina will have a tough challenge Thursday night containing Miami's Ricky Williams.

PASS DEFENSE: B+
   Matt Ryan threw a career-high three touchdown passes against the Panthers in Week 2, but the Panthers picked him off twice on Sunday and limited him to one scoring toss. Sherrod Martin and Richard Marshall both had picks. Chris Gamble had an up and down game. He made some plays, but also was called for pass interference on a 7-yard pass on fourth-and-8 that ultimately led to an Atlanta touchdown. Roddy White had seven catches for 98 yards for the Falcons, but overall limited Ryan to 224 yards passing was not too bad. Carolina didn’t have any sacks as their leader Julius Peppers played with a heavily-taped broken right hand. However, they did get some pressure on him.

SPECIAL TEAMS: D
   Sure, Jason Baker’s tackle helped save the game for the Panthers but if he hadn’t made it we’d all be talking about another special teams meltdown and folks would be calling for Danny Crossman's job today. The fact is Eric Weems never should have gotten past the first line of defense. Carolina has already given up two touchdown returns on special teams and that was nearly a third. Baker had a good day punting and Rhys Lloyd had four touchbacks on five kickoffs, but John Kasay had a 51-yard field goal blocked. Carolina's return game was rendered non-existent by Michael Koenen.

COACHING: A
   A great game plan by the Panthers to go to the no-huddle offense on the second series. That's when Jake Delhomme is typically at his best, when things look crazy. Defensively, the Panthers were solid in pass coverage. They didn’t sack Ryan, but pressured him enough to where they didn’t let him burn them deep as Drew Brees did a week ago. It will be interesting to see how the Panthers defense responds to the challenge of facing Dan Henning’s trick-filled offense Thursday night after a short week of preparation. Carolina's special teams must improve. It could be the difference in a game or two in the second half of the season.