Author: John Paulsen (Page 913 of 937)

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.

Be sure to hit up our SMACK TALK thread and sound off about the game. Or click below and post your thoughts on this thread.

At halftime of the Bears/Panthers game, I saw a promo for this scrolling at the bottom of the screen. I think Fox has somehow forgot what the NFL’s core demographic is. Where is the Sexiest NFL Cheerleader contest?

By the way, my money is on Brett. No way he loses to a kicker.

The Pittsburgh Steelers survived a topsy-turvy game in Indianapolis, nipping the Colts, 21-18. Indianapolis, who hadn’t played a meaningful game in almost a month, looked terribly out of synch for most of the first half, both offensively and defensively. After allowing two Pittsburgh pass touchdowns, they finally showed a pulse on a 96-yard drive – resulting in a field goal – and trailed 14-3 at halftime.

Pittsburgh extended its lead in the third quarter to 21-3 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jerome Bettis. Ben Roethlisberger – who looks like Will Ferrell after a week-long bender in Las Vegas – was terrific for most of the game, finishing with 197 yards and two TD passes. But in the second half he took a hit on the elbow that may have affected his ability to throw the ball accurately. After the Colts scored on 50-yard pass from Peyton Manning to Dallas Clark, the Steelers sat on the lead and mustered an important 14-play drive that ate up eight minutes of the fourth quarter. After a very controversial reversal of what looked like a Troy Polamalu interception, the Colts scored quickly on a 3-yard Edgerrin James scamper, set up by a beautiful 24-yard catch by Reggie Wayne.

The Colts managed to stop the Steelers offense on their next possession and took over on their own 20, trailing 21-18. The Steelers blitzes forced the Colts into a fourth-and-16, and Manning was sacked on his own 2-yard line. With the game in hand, the Steelers took over and tried to punch it in with Bettis, but the Bus fumbled the ball and it was picked up by CB Nick Harper for a return of 35 yards. It looked from the replay that, had Harper angled to one of the sidelines, he may have been able to avoid Ben Roethlisberger, who ended up making the game saving tackle.

The Colts moved the ball down to the Pittsburgh 28-yard line, but failed to convert a third-and-2. On the ensuing play, Mike Vanderjagt missed a 46-yard field goal attempt that wasn’t even close. The Steelers survived the emotional and physical roller coaster and will travel to Denver next weekend for the AFC Championship.

Be sure to hit up our SMACK TALK thread and sound off about the game. Or click below and post your thoughts on this thread.