1st Quarter
RECAP: No surprise here as Vinny Testaverde gets the start at QB for Carolina. On defense, everyone has been waiting for Carolina’s sack attack to arrive and it finally has. The Panthers, who had just two sacks all season, got two in the first quarter with maligned DE Julius Peppers having a hand in both.
BIG PLAY: Peppers’ second sack resulted in a fumble that he recovered, setting up a 33-yard John Kasay field goal. Peppers also knocked out QB Kurt Warner on the play, sending him to the locker room with a left elbow sprain.
BIG MISTAKE: On a third-and-1 at the Arizona 15, RB DeShaun Foster dropped a simple pass in the flat that would have went for a first down and kept the drive alive. Instead, the Panthers settle for a field goal.
COMMENT: It’s all even. With Warner out of the game, both teams are playing a quarterback they just signed this week – Testaverde for Carolina and Tim Rattay for Arizona. Now this is what the fans came to see. Carolina's defense has dominated to this point.
SCORE: Carolina 3, Arizona 0