2006: Seahawks Overwhelm Panthers for NFC Championship

The NFC Championship game on January 22, 2006 featured the Seattle Seahawks, winners of the NFC West and top-seeded team in the conference, hosting the Carolina Panthers, a Wild Card team that finished second in the NFC South.

The Seahawks were coached by Mike Holmgren, who had previously guided the Packers to a NFL Championship, and posted a 13-3 record during the 2005 regular season. RB Shaun Alexander (pictured above) topped the league in rushing (1880 yards) and scoring (168 points) while setting a new NFL record for touchdowns (28, which was broken the next year) and QB Matt Hasselbeck achieved career highs in completion percentage (65.5), yards per attempt (7.7), and passer rating (98.2). The defense was unspectacular but effective and benefited from the addition of rookie MLB Lofa Tatupu. Seattle, which was in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, defeated the Redskins in the Divisional round to advance to its first conference title game since 1983, when the Seahawks were in the AFC (they moved to the NFC as part of the 2002 reorganization). If there was a major concern coming into the game, it was that Alexander had suffered a concussion the previous week.

Carolina, coached by John Fox, was two years removed from a losing Super Bowl appearance and, after dipping to 7-9 in 2004, had bounced back to 11-5 in ’05. Key players on offense were Pro Bowl QB Jake Delhomme and WR Steve Smith, who was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection after catching 103 passes for 1563 yards (15.2 avg.) and 12 TDs. However, the running game struggled due to injuries and RBs Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster were both out for the NFC title contest. The defense had trouble against the run, having lost DT Kris Jenkins to injury for virtually the entire season, although there were capable pass rushers in ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker. The Panthers shut out the Giants in the Wild Card playoff round and then defeated the Bears at the Divisional level.

There were 67,837 fans in attendance at Qwest Field. The teams traded punts until the Seahawks, gaining the advantage in field position, put together a 57-yard drive in five plays. The last two were the biggest as Matt Hasselbeck threw to QB/WR Seneca Wallace for 28 yards and then connected with a wide-open TE Jerramy Stevens for a 17-yard touchdown. Josh Brown added the extra point.

Seattle got the ball back on the next series when Lofa Tatupu intercepted a Jake Delhomme pass that was thrown into coverage and returned it 21 yards to the Carolina 20. The Seahawks weren’t able to reach the end zone again, but Brown kicked a 24-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0.

With time running down in the opening period, the Seahawks again took advantage of a turnover as FS Marquand Manuel picked off a throw by Delhomme and ran it back 32 yards to the Carolina 17. Shaun Alexander had a 15-yard run on the last play of the first quarter and, two plays later it was Alexander running for a one-yard TD. Brown’s conversion put the home team up by 17-0.

The Panthers, who had lost yet another running back in Nick Goings during the first quarter, fought back as Delhomme completed a pass to WR Drew Carter for 41 yards to the Seattle 26, but a holding penalty backed the visitors up and a sack by DT Rocky Bernard took them out of field goal range, forcing a punt. A short Seattle possession also resulted in a punt and Steve Smith returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. While a penalty flag was thrown during the return, a conference by the officials led to no infraction being called and, when John Kasay kicked the point after, the Seahawks’ lead was narrowed to 17-7.

Seattle responded by advancing to another score. Hasselbeck (pictured below) completed three passes, all to WR Darrell Jackson, and Alexander had back-to-back carries of 11 and 18 yards. A 15-yard penalty for an illegal crackback block blunted the drive, but Brown booted a 39-yard field goal to make it a 20-7 game. Following a punt by the Panthers, the Seahawks had an opportunity to add to their margin with 33 seconds remaining in the first half, but Brown missed a field goal try from 49 yards. Thus far the Seahawks had been dominant on defense, holding Carolina to three first downs and 62 total yards in the first thirty minutes.

Seattle took the second half kickoff and drove 65 yards in eight plays, essentially putting the game out of reach for Carolina. Alexander again ran effectively, with a 16-yard gain along the way, and Hasselbeck had three completions, the last to Jackson for a 20-yard TD. Brown’s extra point had the Seahawks up by an imposing 27-7.

Seattle’s defense kept the Panthers in check as their next two possessions went three-and-out, resulting in punts, and the third ended with a Delhomme pass being intercepted by SS Michael Boulware. An exchange of punts led to the last score for the Seahawks on a one-yard carry by Alexander. Carolina responded with one last hurrah, a Delhomme throw to WR Drew Carter for a 47-yard touchdown, but with six minutes remaining in the contest, the outcome was not in doubt. The Seahawks won convincingly by a final score of 34-14.

The statistics reflected Seattle’s dominance. The Seahawks had big leads in total yards (393 to 212), first downs (27 to 11), and time of possession (41:51 to 18:09). In addition, Carolina turned the ball over four times, to none suffered by Seattle.

Matt Hasselbeck completed 20 of 28 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns with none intercepted. Shaun Alexander, showing no ill effects from his concussion the week before, rushed for 132 yards on 34 carries that included the two short TDs. Darrell Jackson and Jerramy Stevens each accounted for a team-leading six pass receptions, for 75 and 66 yards, respectively, and scored a touchdown apiece. On defense, Rocky Bernard was credited with both of Seattle’s sacks.

For the Panthers, Jake Delhomme was successful on only 15 of 35 throws for 196 yards and a TD while giving up three interceptions. RB Jamal Robertson, forced into action due to the attrition at running back, led the club in pass receiving with 37 yards on five catches and in rushing with only 19 yards on four attempts. Steve Smith, who was well bottled up by the defense, also had five pass receptions, gaining 33 yards, but he provided one of Carolina’s few highlights with his lone punt return for a 59-yard TD.

“I don’t know if we ran out of gas,” said Carolina’s Coach Fox from the losing team’s perspective. “I’m not too sure what the problem was. Their defense played tremendous. We know we’d have our hands full with their offense.”

The Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. They topped the NFC West with a lesser record in 2006 but lost in overtime to the Bears at the Divisional level in the postseason. Carolina dropped to 8-8 and missed the playoffs in ’06, next appearing in the postseason in 2008.

Highlighted Year: Jake Delhomme, 2005

Quarterback, Carolina Panthers

Age: 30

7^th season in pro football (5^th active), 3^rd with Panthers

College: Louisiana - Lafayette

Height: 6’2”   Weight: 215

Prelude:

Delhomme passed for 9216 yards and 64 TDs in college but went undrafted by the NFL in 1997. He was signed as a free agent by the New Orleans Saints and spent his first two seasons on the practice squad while being farmed out to the WLAF. He backed up Kurt Warner with the Amsterdam Admirals in 1998 and split the starting job with Pat Barnes for the Frankfurt Galaxy in ’99, passing for 1410 yards and 12 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Delhomme continued to be a backup with the Saints, seeing limited action, before moving on to Carolina as a free agent in 2003 where he became the starter and had surprising success. He passed for 3219 yards and 19 TDs and did remarkably well under pressure, engineering eight come-from-behind wins. The Panthers won the NFC Championship and narrowly lost to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, with Delhomme performing capably. He followed up by passing for 3886 yards and 29 TDs in ’04, which was otherwise a down year for the team. Lacking mobility and a strong arm, Delhomme made up for it by being intelligent and a good leader, well-suited to Carolina’s conservative offense.

2005 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 435 [15]

Most attempts, game – 38 at Chicago 11/20

Completions – 262 [13, tied with Mark Brunell]

Most completions, game – 22 at Chicago 11/20

Yards – 3421 [11]

Most yards, game – 341 vs. Minnesota 10/30

Completion percentage – 60.2

Yards per attempt – 7.9 [4]

TD passes – 24 [4, tied with Matt Hasselbeck, Drew Brees & Eli Manning, 1^st in NFC]

Most TD passes, game – 3 at Miami 9/25, vs. Minnesota 10/30

Interceptions – 16 [5]

Most interceptions, game – 3 at Detroit 10/16

Passer rating – 88.1 [12]

300-yard passing games – 1

200-yard passing games – 10

Rushing

Attempts – 24

Most attempts, game – 4 (for 1 yd.) vs. Atlanta 12/4

Yards – 31

Most yards, game – 17 yards (on 2 carries) vs. New Orleans 9/11

Average gain – 1.3

TDs – 1

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Postseason: 3 G

Pass attempts – 90

Most pass attempts, game – 35 at Seattle, NFC Championship

Pass completions – 54

Most pass completions, game – 24 at Chicago, NFC Divisional playoff

Passing yardage – 655

Most passing yards, game – 319 at Chicago, NFC Divisional playoff

TD passes – 5

Most TD passes, game – 3 at Chicago, NFC Divisional playoff

Interceptions – 4

Most interceptions, game – 3 at Seattle, NFC Championship

Rushing attempts – 5

Most rushing attempts, game – 3 at Seattle, NFC Championship

Rushing yards – 24

Most rushing yards, game – 15 at Seattle, NFC Championship

Average gain rushing – 4.8

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

Pro Bowl

Panthers went 11-5 to finish second in the NFC South while qualifying for the postseason as a Wild Card entry. Won NFC Wild Card playoff over New York Giants (23-0) and NFC Divisional playoff over Chicago Bears (29-21). Lost NFC Championship to Seattle Seahawks (34-14).

Aftermath:

Delhomme suffered through an inconsistent year in 2006, with a thumb injury causing him to miss three late-season games, and he was limited to three games in ’07 due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He came back strong in 2008 to pass for 3288 yards and 15 touchdowns as the team improved to 12-4, but faltered badly in a five-interception loss to the Cardinals in the postseason. A poor 2009 season brought an end to Delhomme’s tenure with the Panthers and he finished up with the Browns and Texans, who signed him during the 2011 season after injuries depleted the quarterback corps. Overall, Delhomme threw for 20,975 yards and 126 TDs in the NFL, with 19,258 of those yards and 120 touchdowns coming with Carolina.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

2003: Delhomme Rallies Panthers Past Jaguars

The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, who had come into the NFL together in 1995, started off the 2003 season on September 7 in Charlotte. It was the head coaching debut for Jacksonville’s Jack Del Rio, who had been Carolina’s defensive coordinator the previous year.

The Jaguars were coming off of three straight losing seasons under their original head coach, Tom Coughlin, after having been a playoff team the previous four years. The team was looking to the future, not only by hiring Del Rio, but in drafting QB Byron Leftwich out of Marshall in the first round, although Mark Brunell, nearing his 33^rd birthday, would start the season. Sixth-year RB Fred Taylor was still a key player in the offense, although star WR Jimmy Smith, at age 34, appeared to be on the downside and would miss the first four games of the season due to a drug suspension. The defense was in transition.

Carolina, in its second year under Head Coach John Fox, was on the upswing. A 1-15 team two years earlier, the Panthers were 7-9 in ’02. 37-year-old QB Rodney Peete played well in the conservative offense the previous year, but Jake Delhomme (pictured above) had joined the team after five years as a backup in New Orleans to mount a challenge. RB Stephen Davis arrived from the Redskins to strengthen the ground game and 35-year-old WR Ricky Proehl to bolster the receiving corps. The defense was young and tough, featuring ends Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker up front.

There were 72,134 fans in attendance for opening day at Ericsson Stadium. Stephen Davis took a handoff on the first play from scrimmage of the game and ran for 20 yards, but it would prove to the Carolina’s only first down of the first half. The teams traded punts throughout the opening period until, early in the second quarter, Mark Brunell fumbled and DE Al Wallace recovered for the Panthers at the Jacksonville 31.

However, the punchless offense was unable to capitalize on the turnover, moving backward rather than forward. Peete was sacked for a nine-yard loss on third-and-nine, and Todd Sauerbrun punted for the fifth time. The Jaguars proceeded to drive 80 yards in nine plays. Brunell completed three passes, the longest to WR J.J. Stokes for 22 yards, and the Panthers were penalized twice. FB Marc Edwards ran two yards up the middle for a touchdown to cap the series and, with Seth Marler’s extra point, Jacksonville was ahead by 7-0.

The contest reverted to form until, with 29 seconds left, the Jaguars regained possession at their own 47 following a punt and 12-yard return by WR Jermaine Lewis. Brunell connected with Fred Taylor for 18 yards and, after a false start, tossed two short passes to Stokes before going long to WR Matthew Hatchette for a 33-yard touchdown on the last play of the half. Marler kicked the PAT and the visitors took a 14-0 lead into the intermission.

The Jaguars added more points with their first possession of the third quarter, driving 46 yards in ten plays that concluded with a 40-yard Marler field goal and 17-0 lead. When the Panthers came out for their first series of the second half, Jake Delhomme was at quarterback in place of Rodney Peete. Clearly excited at the opportunity to play, he immediately energized the offense. Davis ran the ball three times for 24 yards and the Panthers got on the board when Delhomme threw to WR Muhsin Muhammad for a 13-yard touchdown. John Kasay’s extra point made it a ten-point game.

Jacksonville had to punt following a short possession and the Panthers again drove to a score. Davis ran three times for 14 yards and caught a pass for another 11, one of two completions for Delhomme. However, after reaching the Jacksonville 20, an offensive pass interference penalty backed the Panthers up and they settled for a Kasay field goal from 49 yards. Still, they were just a touchdown behind at 17-10.

It got worse for the Jaguars, who bogged down in their own territory, thanks to a penalty and a sack. Carolina RB Rod Smart blocked Chris Hanson’s punt, which resulted in a safety and two more points for the Panthers.

WR Steve Smith returned the free kick 38 yards and, with Davis and RB DeShaun Foster running effectively, the Panthers again moved into Jacksonville territory. However, they came up empty this time when a Delhomme pass was intercepted by CB Rashean Mathis. The reprieve was a short one for the Jaguars as they went three-and-out and punted once again, and this time Carolina did not fail to reach the end zone, going 52 yards in seven plays. Delhomme had three more completions, with the last resulting in a 24-yard touchdown to Smith. An attempted two-point conversion failed, but the Panthers were in front by 18-17.

The Jaguars weren’t ready to quit, however, and pulled off a big play in short order as Brunell threw to Lewis for a 65-yard TD. They also failed in their try for a two-point conversion, but were back in the lead at 23-18 with less than six minutes to play.

Delhomme gave up another interception on the next series, this time by LB Akin Ayodele. Playing conservatively, the Jaguars punted the ball back four plays later, and Smith returned the kick 36 yards to give the Panthers good starting field position at their 46 with 3:34 remaining.

Davis ran twice for nine yards and Delhomme gained a yard to convert third down. Passes to Smith and Foster picked up 19 yards and, on a third-and-two play, Davis ran around end for four yards. Reaching the 12 and facing fourth-and-11, Delhomme threw to Ricky Proehl in the left corner of the end zone (pictured at right), who made the catch for the touchdown with a scant 16 seconds left to play. Yet another two-point conversion attempt failed, but Carolina was back in front by a point.

In the time remaining, Brunell passed the Jaguars down the field, but a 55-yard field goal try by Marler was blocked by safety Mike Minter and the Carolina celebration began. In dramatic fashion, the Panthers had won by a score of 24-23.

Jacksonville had the edge in total yards (331 to 242) although both teams generated 17 first downs. The Panthers turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by the Jaguars, and Jacksonville had the edge in sacks (five to four), although three of those sacks were of Peete during the first half. There were 17 penalties, divided almost evenly, with Carolina drawing nine and the Jaguars eight.

Jake Delhomme completed 12 of 20 passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns, giving up two interceptions. By comparison, Rodney Peete had been four of ten for 19 yards. Stephen Davis rushed for 111 yards on 22 carries. Steve Smith topped the Carolina receivers with four catches for 44 yards and a TD.

For the Jaguars, Mark Brunell (pictured at left) completed 13 straight passes at one point to tie the franchise record and ended up being successful on 23 of 27 throws for 272 yards and two TDs, with none intercepted. J.J. Stokes had the most catches, with 6 for 42 yards, while Jermaine Lewis gained 90 yards on three receptions, thanks to the long touchdown. Matthew Hatchette contributed 60 yards and a TD on his four catches and, in addition to rushing for 71 yards on 22 attempts, Fred Taylor also had 5 catches for 51 yards.

“We needed to do something to spark our offense and I thought Jake did an outstanding job,” said Coach John Fox. “We are going to enjoy this win and make decisions later.”

The decision was to make Jake Delhomme the starting quarterback, and the Panthers started off the season with five straight wins on the way to an 11-5 finish, NFC South title, and playoff run that made it to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Patriots. Jacksonville, on the other hand, lost its first four games in going 5-11 and placed fourth in the AFC South.

Delhomme, in his first year as a starting quarterback, threw for 3219 yards and 19 touchdowns. He would remain with the Panthers for another six years. Stephen Davis ran for 1444 yards on 318 carries (4.5 avg.) and eight TDs and was selected to the Pro Bowl.

In what was his last of nine seasons in Jacksonville, Mark Brunell yielded the starting job at quarterback to the rookie Leftwich after three games. He ended up throwing just 82 passes for 484 yards and his two TD passes against the Panthers were his only ones of the year. Overall in Jacksonville, he passed for 25,698 yards and 144 touchdowns and was named to the Pro Bowl three times.