NFC WILD CARD: Carolina takes control early in a 26-10 win over Cowboys.
By JOANNE KORTH
Published January 4, 2004
[AP photo]
The Panthers' Steve Smith, who had five catches for 135 yards, gets past the Cowboys' Roy Williams in the first quarter.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - All last week, the Panthers heard about the return of America's Team, the vaunted Cowboys and their illustrious playoff history.
Yeah, well.
Check out this stat: 0-2.
That is Dallas' postseason record against the come-lately Panthers, who spoiled the much-anticipated playoff returns of the Cowboys and coach Bill Parcells with a 29-10 victory in an NFC wild-card game Saturday in front of 72,324 at Ericsson Stadium.
The Panthers, who ousted the defending Super Bowl champion Bucs as NFC South winners, advance to a divisional game Saturday at West champ St. Louis.
"In the playoffs, there's no time like now," Panthers coach John Fox said.
Dallas led the league in allowing an average of 253.5 total yards and 164.4 passing yards during the regular season. But the Panthers offense, politely called conservative, easily eclipsed those averages - in the first half - to avenge a 24-20 loss Nov. 23. Quarterback Jake Delhomme, making his first playoff start, finished 18 of 29 for 273 yards, including completions of 70 and 57 yards and a 32-yard touchdown.
Receivers Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad combined for nine catches for 238 yards and one touchdown, each surpassing 100 yards. Stephen Davis, who snapped an 11-game personal losing streak to the Cowboys, rushed for 104 yards and a TD.
John Kasay had field goals of 18, 19, 32, 34 and 38 yards.
"This is the playoffs, and we're not the most flashy team in the world," said Delhomme, who wore a wristband listing nearly 150 plays. "We're just a methodical team. We're going to run it and take our chances, but that's fine with us. This was a big step for us, and now we have to go to St. Louis to face a very good football team that's going to be rested."
Historically speaking, this was a mismatch.
Dallas, which won two Super Bowls in the 1970s and three in the '90s, holds league records for playoff appearances (27), games (54) and wins (32). Carolina reached the playoffs for the second time in its nine-year history, first since the 1996 season. Parcells coached his 18th career playoff game, Fox his first.
Carolina could not have cared less.
Delhomme made a case for the importance of pizzazz over technique. Smith showed the playmaking flash that led to his first Pro Bowl selection. And the Panthers' beefy defensive line lived up to its billing as the league's best, harassing quarterback Quincy Carter and shutting down running back Troy Hambrick.
Carter, also making his first playoff start, was 21 of 35 for 154 yards and was sacked three times. Hambrick rushed eight times for 29 yards, with Dallas held to 204 total yards.
"We just didn't play well enough to win," said Parcells, who came out of a three-year retirement to turn around the Cowboys. "I'm disappointed, but I've got to be realistic. I've been around long enough to know what I've got to do."
Carter's 9-yard touchdown run made it 26-10 with 7:36 left, but Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers sealed the victory with a shoestring interception and 34-yard return to the Dallas 11.
Frenzied fans turned Ericsson Stadium in a blizzard of white terry-cloth towels.
The Panthers, who beat Dallas 26-17 on Jan. 5, 1997, to reach the NFC championship, ran their postseason record to a whopping 2-1. And, in what officially has become a Carolina playoff tradition in that it happened a second time, the Panthers made a curtain call, returning from the locker room for a lap around the field.
"It was great," Delhomme said. "You have to enjoy these times and you don't know when they're going to happen again. We'd like to make it a routine every year, but you never know. I enjoyed it."
