On Friday night, August 14, the Carolina Panthers visited the Philadelphia Eagles for a pre-season contest. In the previous week, the Panthers had lost their first game, while the Eagles had won theirs.
By the end of the night, both clubs were 1-1. But, as in most pre-season contests, the score was not very important. What was significant was how Panthers’ QB Jake Delhomme and Eagles’ QB Donovan McNabb performed.
The QBs
For Delhomme, this game was about how his surgically repaired arm would hold up under game conditions. The word is that Carolina’s signal caller threw the ball without incident—no pain. He was 9-of-14 for 54 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass, but he did allow one pick.
Donovan McNabb hit 11 of 24 attempts for 98 yards. He was passing into a Panther secondary that was missing three of four starters and was unable to connect on a touchdown pass. However, Eagle receivers dropped six of his throws. All of that occurred over six possessions in the first-half.
Defense
Each team had two picks and each ran one back for a touchdown. For Carolina, corner Richard Marshall grabbed a pass, returning it 78 yards for a score. Eagle linebacker Justin Roland captured one interception, making a 74-yard run to take it into the end zone
Special Teams
The Eagles were one-of-two in field goals. Placekicker David Akers missed his attempt, while kicker Richard McGee was one-for-one from forty yards and three-of-three on extra points. On the punt return unit, DeSean Jackson ran back six, including a 27-yard return. Quintin Demps took a kickoff, bringing it back 28 yards.
For the Panthers, placekicker John Kasay was two-for-two in field goals, including a 49-yard shot. He also hit his only extra point kick. On kickoff returns, the Panthers averaged 21.2 yards per play. Including a 34-yard bring back by Jason Carter and a 24-yard return by Ricardo Colclough.
The Edge
Although the Eagles won the game 24-13, the edge goes to the Panthers for their fine kicking and kickoff returns. McNabb did well, but the Philadelphia pass catchers were deficient. Delhomme put some fears to bed with his fine play.