24-17 Carolina: Stewart scores again

Tampa Bay only allowed 1 rushing TD all season until tonight. But the Panthers have just netted their second rushing TD of the game, both by Jonathan Stewart.

Stewart just knocked it in from 4 yards out and Carolina took a 24-17 lead with 13:21left in the fourth quarter. The Panthers have had just a great performance so far in this game from their offensive line -- both Stewart and DeAngelo Williams have more than 80 yards rushing so far.

17-all -- suddenly, it's a track meet

After only one TD in the first half, we've now seen 3 of them in the first 12 minutes of the third quarter.

The latest came from Cadillac Williams, who just knocked one in for Tampa Bay to tie the game at 17-all. That came after yet another long throw from Jeff Garcia to Antonio Bryant, who has just been killing Carolina so far (7 receptions, 171 yards).

Carolina has yet to trail in this game, but the Panthers are in dangerous territory. If it weren't so cold, a lot of Panther fans in this sold-out stadium would be sweating it out right now.

The Bucs have scored TDs on each of their last 2 drives, and no one in Carolina's secondary seems to be able to cover Bryant so far.

17-10 Carolina as Steve Smith scores

The Panthers quickly recovered from their missteps to allow Tampa Bay to tie the game at 10-all. A 6-play, 73-yard drive just ended with Jake Delhomme throwing a 38-yard rainbow to Steve Smith for a TD.

I said in the pregame on WCNC that Smith would need to score at least once for the Panthers to win this game, and who knows, he may need to score twice. But it's nice for Carolina that their biggest offensive threats -- Smith, their two RBs and Muhsin Muhammad -- are all having at least decent games so far.

It's 17-10, Carolina, with 8 minutes still to go in the third quarter. Already, in the first 7 minutes of the second half, we've had more points (14) than we had in the entire first half (13).

10-10: Delhomme interception, Tampa Bay TD

Early in the 3rd quarter, Jake Delhomme threw his 2nd interception of this game. That makes it 5 interceptions for Jake in two games vs. Tampa and zero TDs so far. This one came on an acrobatic catch by Tampa's Jermaine Phillips.

Moments later, Jeff Garcia hit Antonio Bryant with a 50-yard TD pass, as Ken Lucas got burned twice on the play (and also committed a penalty). Lucas got beaten on the catch, then had a clear shot at the tackle and whiffed again.

It's 10-10 early in the third quarter.

Panthers up 10-3 due to running game

The Panthers just put up only the 2nd rushing TD Tampa Bay has allowed all season, with rookie Jonathan Stewart going in standing up from 2 yards out.

The TD was set up by DeAngelo Williams' stunning 40-yard run, in which he broke a couple of tackles up the middle. Almost as big was Williams' 3rd-down conversion in which he broke the tackle of Derrick Brooks, the legendary Tampa Bay LB, to grab the first down.

Already, Carolina has scored more points than it did in that 27-3 fiasco of a loss to the Bucs Oct.12. It's obvious that RT Jeff Otah and C Ryan Kalil -- neither of whom played in that game -- are making a difference.

In that one, Carolina rushed for only 40 yards total. DeAngelo got that in one carry in this game.

Minter's prediction

I was on a pregame TV show with Mike Minter, the former Panther safety. The show was hosted by our news partner, Channel 36, and Minter was far better on it than I was, of course. He always did know how to talk into a camera.

Anyway, Minter thought this would be a fairly low-scoring game, and predicted the Panthers would win it, 20-10.

3-3 midway through 2nd quarter

This game has been a major defensive battle so far. Carolina scored on a field goal on its first possession that was set up by two Jake Delhomme passes to Muhsin Muhammad.

After that, both teams' defenses played well. Tampa Bay's Matt Bryant banged a 39-yard field goal attempt off the upright and it was no good. Carolina missed a scoring opportunity when Ronde Barber jumped a throw to Dante Rosario and made a nice interception of Delhomme.

Then came Garcia's great throw down the left sideline to Antonio Bryant, who sped by first Ken Lucas and then Richard Marshall for 52 yards down to the Panther 3. (This was on a drive in which Carolina had two great chances for turnovers -- Na'il Diggs dropped an interception and then an early whistle short-circuited an apparent forced fumble by Chris Harris).

Carolina stopped Tampa Bay on first and second down, which set up third-and-goal from the 2. Garcia had all day on a play-action pass, but the Panthers had great coverage, and Tampa Bay was forced to settle for the field goal.

With 6:38 left in the second quarter, it's 3-all.