Smith's big game against Bears puts Panthers in NFC title game
Steve Smith racked up a career-best 218 receiving yards on 12 catches and hauled in two touchdown passes from Jake Delhomme, as Carolina advanced to the NFC Championship game with a 29-21 victory over Chicago in a divisional playoff game at Soldier Field.
Delhomme threw for 319 yards and three scores with one interception for the fifth-seeded Panthers, who built an early 13-0 lead and held on to reach the NFC title game for the second time in three years. He completed 24-of-33 passes.
The Panthers rolled up 434 total yards against the NFL's second-ranked defense and scored the most points by an opponent at Soldier Field this season.
Carolina will visit top-seeded Seattle next Sunday to decide the conference's representative in Super Bowl XL.
However, the Panthers will have to face the Seahawks without their top running back, as DeShaun Foster broke his right ankle early in the third quarter after putting up 54 yards on 16 carries.
Rex Grossman went 17-of-41 for 192 yards with a touchdown and interception in his first career playoff start. Thomas Jones compiled 80 yards on 20 carries for second-seeded Chicago, which hasn't won a postseason game since the 1994 campaign.
The Bears, who had set an NFL record by surrendering only 61 total points in their eight home regular-season games, allowed seven before a minute had ticked off the clock.
On the second play from scrimmage, Smith burned Charles Tillman and Delhomme hit him in stride down the right sideline for a 58-yard touchdown just 55 seconds into the contest.
Smith set up the Panthers' next points when he took an up-for-grabs pass from Delhomme away from Nathan Vasher for a 46-yard gain to the Chicago two. However, the Bears stuffed Foster twice and Delhomme overthrew Michael Gaines to force John Kasay to kick a 20-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.
Kasay drilled a 38-yarder with 6:26 left in the period to extend the lead to 13-0. Foster ran three times for 26 yards on the eight-play drive, including a 17-yard burst that put Carolina in scoring range.
Grossman had thrown for only two net yards over Chicago's first five possessions, but finally caught fire late in the first half.
The young signal-caller hit Bernard Berrian for 17 yards before finding ex- Panther Muhsin Muhammad down the middle for a 24-yard gain that put the ball inside the Carolina 20. A 13-yard catch-and-run by Berrian then gave the Bears a 1st-and-goal, and Adrian Peterson crossed the goal line from a yard out on fourth down to bring Chicago within 13-7 with 1:57 remaining before intermission.
However, Delhomme marched the Panthers down field in the closing moments. The veteran completed 5-of-6 throws for 58 yards, including a 20-yard strike to Smith with just under a minute to go, to allow Kasay to boot his third field goal of the half. The 37-yard kick as time expired sent Carolina into the locker room with a 16-7 advantage.
The nine-point bulge at the break could have been more. Panthers' star defensive end Julius Peppers had a 37-yard fumble return for a touchdown overturned by replay in the first-quarter, while Brian Urlacher stopped another scoring opportunity when he picked off Delhomme deep in Chicago territory later on.
Those missed opportunities nearly cost Carolina, as the Bears opened the second half with an eight-play, 68-yard touchdown drive to cut the deficit to two.
Jones ripped off a 24-yard run into Panther territory and Berrian later made a 12-yard grab on 3rd-and-6 to move Chicago to the 25-yard line. A 17-yard connection from Grossman to Berrian preceded Desmond Clark's one-yard catch in the end zone that made it a 16-14 game.
After the teams traded punts, the Panthers gained some breathing room when Delhomme found Smith wide open down the left sideline for a 39-yard touchdown with 2:07 remaining in the third quarter. However, Chicago answered on the ensuing possession.
Grossman delivered a 24-yard pass to Justin Gage and later an 18-yarder to Muhammad which gave the Bears a 1st-and-goal. Jones nearly killed the drive when he fumbled out of the end zone two plays later, but Carolina's Marlon McCree was flagged for a face mask to prevent the turnover.
Fullback Jason McKie then scored from three yards out to pull the hosts within 23-21 with over 12 minutes still to play.
However, Chicago's normally reliable defense failed to stop the Panthers on their next series.
Carolina marched 62 yards in seven plays, highlighted by a 22-yard end around by Smith that put the ball deep in the Bears' end. A pair of strong runs by Nick Goings moved the Panthers inside the five-yard line before Delhomme capped the drive with a one-yard toss to Kris Mangum with 8:04 remaining.
Kasay slipped on the extra point try and the ball landed off the upright, keeping the score at 29-21 and making it a one-possession game.
The Bears got inside the Carolina 40 with around 2 1/2 minutes to go, but Grossman was intercepted by Ken Lucas to thwart the threat.
Still, Chicago had one last chance after its defense forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with 1:36 remaining. However, Grossman hurried a 4th- and-1 throw for Muhammad and the pass sailed past the receiver.
Game Notes
Chicago Pro Bowl safety Mike Brown, who missed the final four regular-season games with a calf injury, aggravated the ailment late in the first half and didn't return...Chicago has lost its last three playoff games, the last two of which have come at home. The Bears' last postseason win came on January 1, 1995, a 35-18 decision at Minnesota in the wild-card round...Smith's previous career best of 201 yards was set October 30 against the Vikings. He had 14 receptions for 169 yards in Carolina's 13-3 regular-season loss to the Bears in November...Delhomme has thrown 10 touchdowns and just two picks in six career playoff games...Chicago has lost 12 straight games in which it has trailed by more than six points.
source: sportsnetwork.com
Delhomme threw for 319 yards and three scores with one interception for the fifth-seeded Panthers, who built an early 13-0 lead and held on to reach the NFC title game for the second time in three years. He completed 24-of-33 passes.
The Panthers rolled up 434 total yards against the NFL's second-ranked defense and scored the most points by an opponent at Soldier Field this season.
Carolina will visit top-seeded Seattle next Sunday to decide the conference's representative in Super Bowl XL.
However, the Panthers will have to face the Seahawks without their top running back, as DeShaun Foster broke his right ankle early in the third quarter after putting up 54 yards on 16 carries.
Rex Grossman went 17-of-41 for 192 yards with a touchdown and interception in his first career playoff start. Thomas Jones compiled 80 yards on 20 carries for second-seeded Chicago, which hasn't won a postseason game since the 1994 campaign.
The Bears, who had set an NFL record by surrendering only 61 total points in their eight home regular-season games, allowed seven before a minute had ticked off the clock.
On the second play from scrimmage, Smith burned Charles Tillman and Delhomme hit him in stride down the right sideline for a 58-yard touchdown just 55 seconds into the contest.
Smith set up the Panthers' next points when he took an up-for-grabs pass from Delhomme away from Nathan Vasher for a 46-yard gain to the Chicago two. However, the Bears stuffed Foster twice and Delhomme overthrew Michael Gaines to force John Kasay to kick a 20-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.
Kasay drilled a 38-yarder with 6:26 left in the period to extend the lead to 13-0. Foster ran three times for 26 yards on the eight-play drive, including a 17-yard burst that put Carolina in scoring range.
Grossman had thrown for only two net yards over Chicago's first five possessions, but finally caught fire late in the first half.
The young signal-caller hit Bernard Berrian for 17 yards before finding ex- Panther Muhsin Muhammad down the middle for a 24-yard gain that put the ball inside the Carolina 20. A 13-yard catch-and-run by Berrian then gave the Bears a 1st-and-goal, and Adrian Peterson crossed the goal line from a yard out on fourth down to bring Chicago within 13-7 with 1:57 remaining before intermission.
However, Delhomme marched the Panthers down field in the closing moments. The veteran completed 5-of-6 throws for 58 yards, including a 20-yard strike to Smith with just under a minute to go, to allow Kasay to boot his third field goal of the half. The 37-yard kick as time expired sent Carolina into the locker room with a 16-7 advantage.
The nine-point bulge at the break could have been more. Panthers' star defensive end Julius Peppers had a 37-yard fumble return for a touchdown overturned by replay in the first-quarter, while Brian Urlacher stopped another scoring opportunity when he picked off Delhomme deep in Chicago territory later on.
Those missed opportunities nearly cost Carolina, as the Bears opened the second half with an eight-play, 68-yard touchdown drive to cut the deficit to two.
Jones ripped off a 24-yard run into Panther territory and Berrian later made a 12-yard grab on 3rd-and-6 to move Chicago to the 25-yard line. A 17-yard connection from Grossman to Berrian preceded Desmond Clark's one-yard catch in the end zone that made it a 16-14 game.
After the teams traded punts, the Panthers gained some breathing room when Delhomme found Smith wide open down the left sideline for a 39-yard touchdown with 2:07 remaining in the third quarter. However, Chicago answered on the ensuing possession.
Grossman delivered a 24-yard pass to Justin Gage and later an 18-yarder to Muhammad which gave the Bears a 1st-and-goal. Jones nearly killed the drive when he fumbled out of the end zone two plays later, but Carolina's Marlon McCree was flagged for a face mask to prevent the turnover.
Fullback Jason McKie then scored from three yards out to pull the hosts within 23-21 with over 12 minutes still to play.
However, Chicago's normally reliable defense failed to stop the Panthers on their next series.
Carolina marched 62 yards in seven plays, highlighted by a 22-yard end around by Smith that put the ball deep in the Bears' end. A pair of strong runs by Nick Goings moved the Panthers inside the five-yard line before Delhomme capped the drive with a one-yard toss to Kris Mangum with 8:04 remaining.
Kasay slipped on the extra point try and the ball landed off the upright, keeping the score at 29-21 and making it a one-possession game.
The Bears got inside the Carolina 40 with around 2 1/2 minutes to go, but Grossman was intercepted by Ken Lucas to thwart the threat.
Still, Chicago had one last chance after its defense forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with 1:36 remaining. However, Grossman hurried a 4th- and-1 throw for Muhammad and the pass sailed past the receiver.
Game Notes
Chicago Pro Bowl safety Mike Brown, who missed the final four regular-season games with a calf injury, aggravated the ailment late in the first half and didn't return...Chicago has lost its last three playoff games, the last two of which have come at home. The Bears' last postseason win came on January 1, 1995, a 35-18 decision at Minnesota in the wild-card round...Smith's previous career best of 201 yards was set October 30 against the Vikings. He had 14 receptions for 169 yards in Carolina's 13-3 regular-season loss to the Bears in November...Delhomme has thrown 10 touchdowns and just two picks in six career playoff games...Chicago has lost 12 straight games in which it has trailed by more than six points.
source: sportsnetwork.com
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