BRONCOS CLAWED BY PANTHERS, 27-7
Carolina Jumps Up 21-0, Coasts to Win

It is safe to say Carolina is on a roll. And if you arrived late, you missed
all the action. 

Within the first seven minutes of the games, the Carolina Panthers jumped to
a 21-0 lead and rolled to an easy 27-7 win over the 1-11 Denver Broncos. The
Panthers improved to 7-5 with their 7th straight win after starting the
season 0-5.  

The Panthers got their first seven points on a Steve Slaton 10-yard run to
culminate a 59-yard drive to open the game. That first drive was almost all
Slaton, as he rushed six times for 46 yards.  

Within a minute, it was quickly 14-0, as Carolina safety Eugene Wilson picked
off a Brad Johnson pass and returned it for the second Carolina TD of the
game, scooting 20 yards for the score.  

And after a Bronco three-and-out, it took Carolina only two plays to score
again, with Donovan McNabb hitting Muhsin Muhammad for a 34-yard touchdown to
make it 21-0 just seven minutes into the game.  

In the final 53 minutes, Carolina threw the ball only twice more, and ran it
34 more times to pound the Broncos into submission, as the Broncos offense
couldn't get anything started for the first three quarters and never
seriously threatened the Panthers. 

Carolina made it 24-0 just before halftime, with a 25-yard field by Garrett
Hartley on the final play of the half to end a drive of nearly eight minutes,
then increased their lead to 27-0 in the third quarter with another Hartley
field goal, this time of 33 yards.  

In the fourth quarter, with Brian Griese inserted at halftime for the
ineffective Johnson (4 of 14, 26 yards, one pick), and finally got the inept
Denver offense (only 190 yards on the day) into the endzone on a Lendale
White ten yard sweep around left end for the score. The drive, which came
against the Panther scrubs, still took nearly six minutes off the clock, with
the Broncos moving 11 plays and 60 yards for the touchdown.  After an
exchange of punts, the Broncos got the ball back in the final minute, and
fittingly enough, their final possession ended with consecutive sacks of
Griese.  

Game Notes: Lendale White had his best rushing day since week two, rushing
for 79 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries (4.9). Ricky Williams added 47
another 13 runs (3.6), as the Broncos picked up 127 yards on the ground. They
were outdone by the Panthers, who banged for 156 yards on 41 rushes, with
veteran Warrick Dunn rushing 30 times for 100 yards to lead the Panthers in
his first one hundred game this season, and quite possibly the last one of
his fine career. The Broncos get Daunte Culpepper back next week, and expect
Culpepper, who started the season at QB and lasted three quarters before
going down with a knee injury, to get the starting nod. They also will get
rookie cornerback Tracy Porter back as well, and likewise expect Porter to be
inserted into the starting defensive lineup.