With the clock ticking down to zero, John Kasay, calmly  walked on to the New Orleans Super Dome turf and nailed a 52 yard field goal to seal the win for the Panthers.

The Carolina Cat’s continued their winning ways on the road by cruising into the bayou and promptly dispatching a struggling Saints squad 16 to 13. The Saints may have won the stat sheet comparison but the final score was all you needed to know. The Saints are still seeking their first win as they fall to 0 and four at the foot of Kasay.

 The Panthers continued to look anemic on offense. The Cat’s could not get any traction with the running game. The receivers continued to drop balls in critical situations. David Carr was carted off the field after feeling the effects of 500 pounds of lineman meat rolling over him. We got a chance to see the arm of Matt Moore. Matt who? Yes, Matt Moore, the rookie QB from Oregon. He let go a 43 yard strike to Kerry Colbert that found the mark and seemed to jump start the deflated passing game. Carr was able to magically  walk back on the field mid-way through the fourth quarter to find Sideline  Superman  for a 17 yard  touchdown that tied the game at 13 all.

The defensive secondary seemed to find new life in the Dome as well. Richard Marshall and Chris Harris both managed to haul in errant throws from Drew Brees to tilt the ball control equation back to their side. Ken Lucas lead the time with nine tackles. Jon Beason seemed comfortable filling in for an ailing Dan Morgan at MLB with eight tackles and five assists.

You have to give the nod to the defensive scheme in this game as the D line seemed to stack up on the correct side, while the backers and DB’s continued to put pressure on Brees. Unfortunately no sacks were carded Sunday but the D was able to put enough voodoo on Bress so that he was off the mark in multiple  3^rd down situations.

Kerry Colbert looked good. He seems to be improving each game and may be emerging as the alter ego to Superman on the field catching four passes for 74 yards.

Jeff King continued to show how important it is to have a  Tight End with good hands. Some how, some way he managed to fumble the ball, only to have it bounce back into his hands as he was sliding along The Super Dome turf on his back.

Peppers seemed to come alive on Sunday. Maybe it was the Kris Jenkins rant or the closed door meeting but everyone seemed to step it up on Defense Sunday. Peppers managed to get his 6 foot seven frame up in the air and get his elbow on the ball to block an Olindo Mare Field Goal attempt.

This game ball has to go to John Kasay. The sure footed kicker once again proved his worth to the Panthers. Steve Smith made sure Kasay was in position as he fought through two defenders on a side line catch as the clock was ticking down. For a small man, he came through big when it counted most. Without those few extra yards the outcome may have been different for the Cardiac Cats. We know Kasay has the confidence,  we know in the Dome there are no swirling winds to deal with. The lone remaining member of the original Panther squad showed us how it’s done. Congratulations John, this game ball is for you! 

The Cat’s sit a 3 – 2, tied  a top the NFC South with the Buc’s who went down in defeat at the Colts.   

, contributor to: www.dcpanthersfans.com