Panthers Lose Delhomme, Win Game.

For Panthers fans, there is good news, and there is bad news.  The good news is that the Panthers improved their record to 2-1 after defeating the Atlanta Falcons.  The bad news is that Jake Delhomme left the game with an injury, and Carolina struggled to dispatch a team that may well be the worst in the league this year.  The Panthers allowed Joey Harrington to throw on them almost at will, and needed quite a bit of help - most of it coming in the form of Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall’s on-field meltdown - to gain their second victory of the season.

The Panthers certainly did not look like a team prepared to vie for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl on this week.  Indeed, if not for the Hawks’ unique ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory, the Panthers might be staring at a 1-2 record right now.  If Steve Smith hadn’t managed to get inside Hall’s head late in the game - his breakdown resulted in 3 penalties for a combined 67 yards - the Panthers most likely would not have had a chanced to score the winning touchdown.  Even on a day when Steve Smith didn’t have his big time fantasy numbers, he still guides his team to victory.  That is just what leaders do.  Whether or not he can continue to lead these Panthers to gut-it-out style wins remains to be seen.

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