Defense can't keep pace after strong first half

By Darin Gantt - dgantt@carolina.rr.com

NEW ORLEANS -- For a half, or most of one, it seemed the Carolina Panthers' defense was in control of this one.

But as they did two weeks ago, the New Orleans Saints proved their mettle as a comeback team, rallying to win 30-20 on Sunday in the Louisiana Superdome.

The Panthers built a 17-6 halftime lead behind a powerful running game and an opportunistic defense, which held the Saints out of the end zone. Chances were turned away routinely, as defensive end Tyler Brayton forced a fumble by Drew Brees, and Chris Gamble picked him off as he approached the end zone.

They should have known it wasn't going to last.

Brees came back with a strong second half, hitting big play after big play to lead the comeback. It was reminiscent of the Saints' win over Miami on Oct. 25, when they turned a 24-3 second-quarter deficit into a 46-34 win.

It didn't take them long Sunday, as Brees took the Saints the length of the field in less than two minutes to cut the gap to 17-13 and change the course of the game. He did so with a 63-yarder to Devery Henderson, which twisted Gamble around helplessly.

Even though the Panthers followed with a field goal, Brees tied the game and took the rest of the air out of the Panthers with a 54-yard touchdown pass to Robert Meachem to end the third quarter.

“We had people there,” Panthers coach John Fox said. “We just didn't make the play.”

It was a difficult day for a team that entered as the league's leading pass defense, though they hadn't faced anyone near this caliber.

“It's real frustrating to give up those big plays, like the one to Meachem,” Gamble said. “They just made more big plays than we did.”

It was similar in theme to last year's game at the Superdome, when the Panthers watched a 30-10 lead disappear and had to bat down a last-second pass from Brees to walk out with a win.

“There's nothing you can say,” cornerback Richard Marshall said. “They made big plays when it counted. We knew when we were up 14-0 that they would come back — hey, they did it last year on us. We knew what they were capable of.”

INJURY UPDATE — Fox offered no specifics on linebacker Thomas Davis' knee injury, pending tests upon their return to Charlotte. However, a number of teammates were fearing the worst — that his knee problem could mean a long-term absence.

Davis missed a month of preseason with a right MCL sprain, the same knee he grabbed after going down with no apparent contact.

“Anytime you don't know what's wrong with a knee, it's scary,” teammate Jon Beason said. “It's unfortunate, because he was having a Pro Bowl-type year. I can't think of another outside linebacker in the NFL that was playing any better.

‘We just have to keep the faith and hopefully everything works out.”

Fox didn't announce any other injuries, but defensive end Julius Peppers had a severely swollen right hand that was heavily wrapped when he left the locker room. Peppers shrugged when asked about the injury, saying he “fell on it,” and offering no other explanation.

PLAYING IT SAFE — The Panthers again tried to take the air out of the ball, with quarterback Jake Delhomme running a better four-corners offense than anyone since Phil Ford.

At halftime, he was 4 of 5 for 30 yards, but it didn't matter as much since the Panthers had run for 130 yards at that point. He finished 17 of 30 for 201 yards for a passer rating of 77.2. It was his second straight interception-free performance after giving it away 13 times in the first six games.

“Jake managed the game well,” Fox said. “He's done that for a lot of the game. We had our chances; unfortunately, we just came up a little short today.

“It's kind of like how I coached and how the rest of us played, we just came up short. “

The loss was Delhomme's first in the Superdome as a starter, but it continued an ugly trend. By reaching 30 attempts, he crossed the threshold that usually spells doom for the Panthers.

Delhomme is now 13-31 when he throws 30 passes or more, while he is 45-8 when he throws 29 passes or fewer.

EXTRA POINTS — The Panthers' inactive list was easy, as four of the eight stayed back in Charlotte to rehab injuries — receiver Muhsin Muhammad (knee), fullback Brad Hoover (high ankle sprain), tight end Dante Rosario (knee) and safety Charles Godfrey (ankle). Also inactive were fullback Tony Fiammetta (concussion), backup guard Duke Robinson, defensive tackle Nick Hayden and third quarterback A.J. Feeley. ...

Wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and free safety Sherrod Martin got their second straight starts, in place of Muhammad and Godfrey. ...

Former Saints defensive tackle Hollis Thomas and former Panthers long snapper Jason Kyle went out with the captains for the pregame coin toss.