In a surprisingly potent offensive battle, the Panthers went into Soldier Field and beat the Bears, 29-21. Carolina got off to a great start when Jake Delhomme found Steve Smith for a 58-yard touchdown on the second play of the game. Delhomme and Smith hooked up twelve times for 218 yards and two scores. Delhomme finished with 319 yards passing and three touchdowns, slicing and dicing a Bears defense that only allowed 180 passing yards per game during the regular season.
Bears QB Rex Grossman played pretty well in the loss, throwing for 192 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The Panthers got the win despite losing both DeShaun Foster and Julius Peppers to injuries. Nick Goings filled in admirably for Foster, rushing for 34 yards on ten carries while catching one pass for 14 yards. If Foster is unable to play next week, keep in mind that Goings is a very capable rusher. Filling in for Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster last season, he rushed for 691 yards and scored six touchdowns over the last seven games in 2004.
Carolina is playing great football right now and they are definitely one of the top two teams in the NFC. They should give Seattle all they can handle next week and they have a great shot at upsetting the Seahawks on their home field.
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