Davis rushes streaking Panthers past Bucs into top spot
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stephen Davis ran for a pair of
touchdowns as the streaking Carolina Panthers won their fifth
straight game, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-14 in
National Football League play in Tampa Sunday.
The Panthers (6-2) stayed in first place in the NFC South
after what was also their fifth victory in a row over their
divisional rivals.
Carolina never trailed, taking a 10-0 lead in the first
quarter, a 17-7 lead at the half and stretching their lead to
27 points in the fourth quarter before the Buccaneers (5-3)
managed a late touchdown to make the score a little more
respectable.
Tampa Bay have now lost three of their last four games to
slip out of the first place tie in the division with Carolina
and Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons kept pace with a 17-10 win at
Miami.
John Kasay opened the scoring for the Panthers with a
30-yard field goal five minutes into the game and Davis ran
four yard for a TD later in the first quarter, putting the
Panthers in control.
Joey Galloway caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Chris
Simms on the first play of the second quarter to get the Bucs
close, but Davis scored on a 1-yard run to complete a 90-yard
drive, restoring Carolina’s 10-point lead before the half.
Chris Gamble scored on a 61-yard interception return in the
third quarter, and Kasay added a 20-yard field goal to make it
27-7 after three quarters.
Steve Smith scored on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jake
Delhomme early in the fourth quarter, while Mike Alstott’s
1-yard TD run accounted for the Bucs final score later in the
quarter.
FIVE CATCHES
Smith had five catches for 106 yards from Delhomme, who was
11-for-18 for 216 yards and no interceptions. Davis rushed for
48 yards on 12 carries.
Simms, the son of former New York Giants QB Phil Simms,
wound up 25-for-41 for 259 yards and two interceptions.
In Miami, Michael Vick passed for a season-high 228 yards
and rushed for another 38 yards, leading the Falcons to victory
over the Dolphins.
Brian Finneran caught eight passes for 92 yards, including
an 11-yard TD catch, while Warrick Dunn’s 1-yard run accounted
for Atlanta’s other major. Dunn had 88 yards rushing on 25
carries.
Todd Peterson’s 21-yard field goal was the only score of
the final quarter as the Falcons improved to 6-2 to stay tied
with Carolina in the NFC South.
Ronnie Brown rushed for 67 yards and Ricky Williams rushed
for 52 more, including a 23-yard TD run for the Dolphins (3-5).
In Baltimore, Carson Palmer threw two touchdown passes to
help the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens 21-9.
Rudi Johnson ran for 97 yards and a touchdown for the
Bengals, who improved to 7-2.
THIRD LOSS
Anthony Wright went 19-for-30 for 153 yards and Matt Stover
kicked three field goals for the Ravens, who lost their third
straight game to slip to 2-6.
In Cleveland, Reuben Droughns rushed for 116 yards and
caught a crucial third-down pass for 51 yards as the Browns
beat the Tennessee Titans 20-14.
Trent Dilfer went 18-for-34 for 272 yards for the Browns.
In Jacksonville, Byron Leftwich directed scoring drives of
80 and 82 yards in the fourth quarter to guide the Jaguars to a
21-14 win against the Houston Texans.
In Kansas City, Larry Johnson rushed for 107 yards and two
touchdowns as the Chiefs beat the Oakland Raiders 27-23.
In Minneapolis, Brad Johnson passed for 136 yards and two
touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions
27-14.
In East Rutherford, LaDainian Tomlinson scored a
career-high four touchdowns as the San Diego Chargers beat the
New York Jets 31-26.
Tomlinson rushed for three TDs and 107 yards and also
caught a 25-yard pass for another score.