Weinke to the rescue in Panthers 21-20 win over Lions

By John Onan | Sunday, October 16, 2005 | ( 0 )

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For a guy who hadn't taken a regular season snap in nearly three years, Carolina Panther backup quarterback Chris Weinke sure didn't look rusty. After starter Jake Delhomme was forced to the sidelines after being knocked nearly unconscious by Detroit Lions safety Kenoy Kennedy on the team's final drive, Weinke stepped in and led Carolina to the end zone on a three yard scoring toss to wide receiver Ricky Proehl with :24 remaining.

The Detroit Lions had a chance to put the game out of reach on the previous drive, as tight end Marcus Pollard caught a Joey Harrington pass, and rumbled down the field for an 86-yard gain. Panther safety Mike Minter made, what turned out to be, a game saving tackle at the Carolina five. The Lions were unable to punch the ball into the end zone on the next three downs, and kicker Jason Hanson booted a chip-shot 25-yard field goal to put the Lions up by six.

In the first half, it was the Detroit defense making all the plays, as they returned two Delhomme intercepted passes for touchdowns. After Boss Bailey went in for a 34-yard return, Kennedy returned another one for 64 yards to make it a 14-14 tie going into the half. For the game, Delhomme was picked off a total of three times in the game, while going 15-of-25 for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

Considering the Carolina Panthers found very little success on the ground, as Stephen Davis was held to 27 yards on 13 carries, Delhomme was forced to take chances down the field. Detroit running back Kevin Jones was also held in check, only gaining 21 yards on 12 attempts.

Detroit had a final chance to drive the field for a game winning field goal attempt in the waning seconds, but quarterback Joey Harrington threw four straight incompletions to turn the ball over on downs. For the game, we went 17-of-28 through the air for 201 yards and an interception.

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