As good as they looked in thumping Dallas 29-10 in last weekend’s NFC wild-card playoffs, the Carolina Panthers realize that was the easy part.
“There’s no question we’re going to have to play better,” Panthers defensive end Julius Pepper said. “It was pretty good against Dallas, but that won’t be good enough for this game.”
This game is Saturday’s NFC semifinal against the St. Louis Rams, who come in with a franchise-record 14-game home winning streak. Will the Panthers be victim No. 15 at the Edward Jones Dome, where it can be as deafening as a jet engine when things are going right for the home team? The Rams would like to think so.
“We had a good week of practice,” Rams coach Mike Martz said. “I think this football team is ready to play.”
The Rams won all eight games while going 4-4 on the road. And if they hadn’t lost their regular-season finale in Detroit, they would have had home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If St. Louis wins and Green Bay upsets Philadelphia on Sunday, then the Rams get to play once more at home in the NFC title game.
“There is no greater feeling in sports than when it is third-and-short, a fourth-down play, everybody is on their feet, we have to make a big play,” safety Adam Archuleta said, “and you make a big play and the entire stadium erupts.”
Look for plenty of noise Saturday, especially if the Rams follow the script and beat the Panthers. But this is no shoe-in. The Panthers’ defense is one of the most dominant in the game, with a pass rush that has been unstoppable at times. Defensive end Mike Rucker led the team with 12 sacks during the regular season, while Peppers had seven and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins five. The Panthers’ defensive linemen combined for 32 1/2 sacks, behind only Miami.
Then again, St. Louis has been terrific in pass protection, especially at home, allowing only 10 sacks in its last seven home wins.
The Rams will need to protect quarterback Marc Bulger, who has shown some jumpiness in the pocket. He finished with 22 touchdowns–and 22 interceptions. Bulger was knocked out late in the Lions game with a bruised forearm and was replaced by Kurt Warner.
“Marc is our quarterback,” Martz said. “Are there circumstances where Kurt could end up playing for us? I’m sure there are. I don’t know what they are.”
