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 has two sacks and two turnovers already.
SCORE: Carolina 3, Arizona 0
2nd Quarter
RECAP: The Panthers add another Kasay field goal before the Cardinals take the lead 7-6 with a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. The Cardinals have 112 yards of offense; the Panthers have 97.
BIG PLAY: WR Larry Fitzgerald made a great one-handed catch near the sidelines on third down to keep Arizona’s touchdown drive alive. John Fox challenged the play, but it was ruled Carolina FS Deke Cooper forced him out of bounds.
BIG MISTAKE: CB Chris Gamble failed to make a tackle when Arizona’s Edgerrin James rambled through the middle of the line for a 23-yard touchdown run.
COMMENT: The Panthers running game is abysmal. Up until the final carry to run out the clock, Carolina RBs DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams had 15 yards on seven carries. Man, I could be watching the Dallas-New England game.
SCORE: Arizona 7, Carolina 6