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Defensive end Julius Peppers was again limited by a hand injury in the Carolina Panthers' game Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium.
Peppers was mostly in the game on passing downs against Miami, as he was last week in a 28-19 victory against Atlanta. He forced a fumble against the Dolphins, but was also lined up in the neutral zone on a key third-down in the fourth quarter, giving Miami a first down.
Briefly The Panthers activated receiver Charly Martin in his first game since being signed from the practice squad to fill injured tackle Jordan Gross' roster spot earlier this week. Martin's move up also bumped Kenneth Moore to the inactive list.
The inactive list also featured defensive end Charles Johnson, who injured his pectoral muscle against Atlanta on Sunday and didn't practice this week.
The Panthers also activated tackle Garry Williams, who was the team's seventh offensive linemen with Gross on injured reserve.
Other inactives: Safety Charles Godfrey (injured ankle), running back Mike Goodson, fullback Brad Hoover (injured ankle), guard Duke Robinson and defensive end Hilee Taylor. A.J. Feeley was the third quarterback.
Miami starting tight end Anthony Fasano didn't play due to a hip injury and was replaced in the lineup by Joey Haynos.
Other Dolphins inactives: Running back Nate Ness, linebacker Eric Walden, tackle Andrew Gardner, defensive end Lionel Dodson, tackle Lydon Murtha and defensive tackle Paul Soliai. The third quarterback was Tyler Thigpen, formerly of Coastal Carolina and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Miami kicker Dan Carpenter slipped on the opening kickoff, leaving a sizeable divot and kicking the ball 43 yards to the Panthers 27, from where Jeff King returned it 11 yards. And, once again, Panthers deep man Terrell Sutton wasn't able to return one. Last week, in his first "action" as a returner, Sutton caught six kickoffs in the end zone against Atlanta, taking a knee each time for a touchback.
Sutton finally got to return two kicks later in the first half and had two more in the second half.
Consecutive dropped passes by Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith contributed to a stalled drive after the Panthers had a first-and-goal at the 7 in the first quarter, leading to a Joey Porter sack of quarterback Jake Delhomme. John Kasay kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.
Shrewd move by the Dolphins to have Davone Bess playing about 20 yards in front of punt returner Ted Ginn Jr. on one play late in the second quarter. Jason Baker's punt was short (34 yards) and Bess grabbed it on the run and returned it 22 yards to the Carolina 29.
After their short four-day week, the Panthers are now off for nine days. Their next game is Nov. 29 against the New York Jets. The Jets (4-5) started fast under new coach Rex Ryan, winning their three games. But they've lost five of six since and face the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The Dolphins didn't run a play from the "wildcat" formation until the second quarter when Ricky Williams took a direct snap for 1 yard. Miami went from the wildcat just one more time in the half – a 1-yard touchdown run by Williams.
Panthers linebacker Landon Johnson left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury and didn't return.
Williams had a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game for the first time in his career.
Ironic moment in the stadium when a Time Warner Cable ad came up on the stadium's big screen. The cable organization doesn't carry NFL Network, which televised the game nationally (it was available locally on WAXN-TV). The NFL never misses a chance to criticize Time Warner for that, either.
By the numbers
0: Times the Panthers have beaten the Dolphins (in four games).
1: Helmet lost by Panthers defensive tackle Damione Lewis on a play in the fourth quarter.
15: Quarters between two most recent interceptions by Panthers' Jake Delhomme (fourth quarter of loss against Buffalo and third quarter Thursday).
