CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Any hope the Cowboys had of renewed confidence after a field goal near the end of the first half vanished with Panthers receiver Muhsin Muhammad running free through the secondary.
Unwilling to sit on a 13-3 lead, Carolina took advantage of a breakdown in Dallas' top-ranked pass defense as quarterback Jake Delhomme found Muhammad for an unusual 57-yard play to the Cowboys 2.
Muhammad made the catch and ran for the end zone, fumbled at the Dallas 10 and recovered at the 2. Replays showed Muhammad went out of bounds between the fumble and recovery, but officials ruled Muhammad reestablished himself in bounds by putting his knee down. One knee equals two feet.
"I don't know what was controversial about it," said Muhammad, who had four catches for 103 yards. "I got the ball back. I should have made a better decision and run out of bounds. I was going to try and cut back and score a touchdown."
Carolina took a 16-3 lead on John Kasay's 19-yard field goal with one second left.
ELITE COMPANY: Carolina coach John Fox took over a 1-15 team and within two seasons led the Panthers to the playoffs, a feat accomplished by only two others:
Vince Lombardi and Bill Parcells.
Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay coach, took over the Packers after a one-win season in 1958 and led them to the playoffs in 1960. Parcells took over the 1-15 Jets in 1996 and had them in the playoffs in '98.
TIES THAT BIND: Panthers center Jeff Mitchell, a product of Countryside High, was surprised when his former college coach, Steve Spurrier, resigned from the Redskins after two seasons and a 12-20 record.
"He's not a good loser, but I never thought it would come to that," Mitchell, a senior when UF won the 1996 national championship, told the Charlotte Observer. "That's crazy to me."
Mitchell expects to see the ol' ball coach on a sideline again.
"I would think he would have to," said Mitchell, a seven-year pro who won a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens. "If I left something like that, I would have to come back and at least try it again. That's going to be tough to live with."
LONG PLAY: Steve Smith's 70-yard reception was the second-longest pass play allowed by Dallas this season. The longest occurred in last weekend's loss to New Orleans, 76 yards from Aaron Brooks to Donte' Stallworth.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: The Cowboys and Panthers met once before in the playoffs, a 1996 divisional game. Carolina beat the defending Super Bowl champions 26-17 at Ericsson Stadium, the Panthers' first playoff game.
EXTRA POINTS: Rookie linebacker Vinny Ciurciu, who spent several weeks with the Bucs before being released, made it to the playoffs with the Panthers and was active against the Cowboys. ... Peete's wife, Holly Robinson Peete, sang the national anthem.
