Carolina Gets Manhandled in NFC Divisional Game

Saturday may have been Jake Delhomme’s birthday, but the only party the Carolina quarterback witnessed this weekend was the Arizona Cardinals defense throwing a surprise celebration for him — in the form of interceptions and turnovers. In a devastating 33-13 loss on Saturday, the Carolina Panthers seemed almost defenseless as Cardinals Antrel Rolle, Roderick Hood, Gerald Hayes, Ralph Brown and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie all took turns abusing the Carolina team, each player coming away with an interception. Delhomme was the source for six turnovers (five interceptions and one fumble) in the divisional game, allowing the Cardinals to score 23 of their 33 total points off the turnovers.

Arizona also put a stop to the Panthers’ normally explosive rushing game, holding DeAngelo Williams to 63 yards and Jonathan Stewart to just 12 yards. Receiving stats for the Panthers weren’t any better, as Muhsin Muhammad led the team with receiving yards totaling 55, while Steve Smith had 43, Jonathan Stewart 39, Dante Rosario 28 and Dwayne Jarrett 27. Despite playing a less-than stellar game against the Cardinals on Saturday, the Panthers still had a tremendous year, going 12-4 in the regular season while coming a long way from the days of Steve Smith’s preseason suspension.

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