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.

2000: Rams Edge Bucs in Defensive Battle for NFC Title

After nine straight losing seasons, dating back to when the franchise was still located in Los Angeles, the St. Louis Rams rose to 13-3 in 1999 and were in the playoffs for the first time since 1989. 63-year-old Head Coach Dick Vermeil, in his third year at the helm following a lengthy hiatus from coaching, had built an offensive powerhouse, although it certainly didn’t look to be the case when newly-acquired QB Trent Green went down with a season-ending injury in the preseason. But in a stunning development, unheralded backup QB Kurt Warner stepped into the job with spectacular results. He was helped by the presence of outstanding veteran WR Isaac Bruce and rookie WR Torry Holt as well as, perhaps most significantly, RB Marshall Faulk, obtained from the Colts, who had over a thousand yards each in rushing and catching the ball. The defense was an afterthought but was also much improved. The high-powered offense had been on full display in a 49-37 Divisional round win over the Vikings.

On January 23, 2000 the Rams hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC Championship. Coached by Tony Dungy, the Bucs went 11-5 in topping the NFC Central and were coming off of a one-point win over Washington in the Divisional playoff round. They featured an outstanding defense that included DT Warren Sapp, linebackers Derrick Brooks and Hardy Nickerson, and SS John Lynch, all of whom went to the Pro Bowl. The offense was conservative and ground-oriented, depending on running backs Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn. QB Shaun King had replaced injured veteran Trent Dilfer and was attempting to become the first rookie quarterback to guide his team to a Super Bowl. Nevertheless, the Rams came into the contest as solid 14-point favorites.

There were 66,946 fans at the Trans World Dome hoping to see their team win its first conference title since moving to St. Louis. Kurt Warner received an immediate indication that he was in for a battle when his first pass was tipped and then intercepted by DE Steve White in St. Louis territory. The Bucs got a 25-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica off of the turnover to take a 3-0 lead.

St. Louis came back to score with a methodical 16-play drive that covered 74 yards and led to a Jeff Wilkins field goal from 24 yards. On the first play of the second quarter, the Rams got a break on defense when a snap to Shaun King, in shotgun formation, flew past the quarterback and into the end zone. King, seeking to prevent a possible defensive touchdown, knocked the ball through the end zone for a safety.

The Rams had a chance to score again after the free kick but a 44-yard field goal try by Wilkins was unsuccessful. The teams traded punts and the Bucs put together a promising drive that reached the St. Louis 24. However, Mike Alstott was then thrown back for a two-yard loss and King was sacked by LB Charlie Clemons to take them out of field goal range. Before the first half was over Tampa Bay threatened again, but CB Todd Lyght intercepted King’s pass at the St. Louis 33 to extinguish the drive. The Rams carried a precarious 5-3 lead into halftime.

Opening the third quarter, the Buccaneers put together a solid series that covered 66 yards in nine plays and included a pass from King to WR Jacquez Green for 32 yards in a third-and-eight situation that had more yardage attached due to a facemask penalty. Gramatica capped the drive with a 23-yard field goal that put Tampa Bay in front by 6-5.

The Rams came out throwing on their next series as Warner tossed nine passes and they moved from their 13 to the Tampa Bay 24. But the tenth pass was picked off by LB Hardy Nickerson at the Tampa Bay two to snuff out a scoring threat with just under four minutes remaining in the period.

The Buccaneers kept the ball on the ground and punted. Now in the fourth quarter, Warner again threw an interception in the Rams’ next series, this time with CB Brian Kelly giving Tampa Bay good field position at the St. Louis 42. The Bucs were unable to do anything with it and the teams again traded punts.

The Rams made a big play on defense midway through the fourth quarter when rookie CB Dre’ Bly intercepted a Shaun King pass at midfield. Six plays later, in a third-and-four situation, the Rams finally hit pay dirt.

With 4:44 left in the game, Warner threw to the team’s number four receiver, WR Ricky Proehl, who pulled the pass in along the left sideline over a leaping Brian Kelly for a 30-yard touchdown. While he juggled the ball momentarily, he came down cleanly in the end zone (pictured at top). The pass attempt for a two-point conversion failed but the Rams were back in front.

The Buccaneers had time but continued to come up short against the Rams defense. On their final drive, the Rams came through with two sacks of King, by DT Jeff Zgonina and DE Grant Wistrom. With 47 seconds left, an apparent 13-yard completion to WR Bert Emanuel to the St. Louis 23 was overturned on review. King, needing long yardage, then tossed two incomplete passes to end any hopes for the Bucs. St. Louis came away with a hard-fought 11-6 win to advance to the Super Bowl.

The Rams led in total yards (309 to 203) and first downs (17 to 12). Neither team was able to run the ball effectively, with the Bucs gaining 77 yards on 23 rushing attempts and St. Louis amassing just 51 yards on 21 carries. The Rams turned the ball over three times, to two by Tampa Bay, while the St. Louis defense stepped up with five sacks.

Kurt Warner, heavily harassed but never sacked, completed 26 of 43 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown but also three critical interceptions. The Tampa Bay defense did a good job of taking Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce out of the game – Faulk rushed for 44 yards on 17 carries, with six of those rushing attempts going for either no gain or a loss, and had only three catches for five yards, and Bruce gained 22 yards on three pass receptions. Instead, slow but dependable Ricky Proehl, typically an afterthought in the speed-based passing attack, gained 100 yards on 6 catches that included the game-winning TD and Torry Holt hauled in 7 receptions for 68 yards.                                                                                   

For the Buccaneers, Shaun King (pictured below) was successful on 13 of 29 throws for 163 yards with no TDs but three interceptions. Mike Alstott rushed for 39 yards on 12 carries and Warrick Dunn contributed 35 yards on 9 attempts. Dunn also was the team’s co-leader with four catches, for 37 yards, while Jacquez Green gained 59 yards on his four receptions.

“Kurt (Warner) and I talked prior to the play on a TV timeout,” explained Ricky Proehl, who had not caught a touchdown pass during the regular season, of the game-winning score. “He said if the safety comes we’re running a fade. They had good coverage. I went up to the ball and tried to screen (Brian Kelly) off. I was fortunate to make the play.”

“Kurt Warner put it (the pass) up exactly where he had to put it,” said Warren Sapp. “You take your hat off. He threw it early because we had the blitz on, but he put it in a perfect spot. That’s why he made the play.”

Speaking about the Tampa Bay defense after the game, a relieved Kurt Warner said, “they had a great scheme coming in. We never knew when they were going to blitz and when they weren’t. It seemed like everything we did, they were all over us.”

The Rams went on to win a close-fought Super Bowl over the Tennessee Titans. With Coach Vermeil stepping down into what became a brief retirement, offensive coordinator Mike Martz was promoted to head coach and St. Louis went 10-6 in 2000, losing to division-rival New Orleans in the Wild Card round. Tampa Bay came back to go 10-6 in 2000 and finish second in the NFC Central, although still grabbing a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. The Bucs fell to Philadelphia, also in the first postseason round.