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OFFENSIVE MVP: Jake Delhomme, QB. The Panthers saw last season how much they suffer when Delhomme is out. The offensive is clicking again, and still hasn't played its best. Wide receiver Steve Smith is a not-too-distant second.
DEFENSIVE MVP: Jon Beason, MLB. Appropriately, he plays in the middle of the defense because he is its heart and soul. Also worthy of consideration are defensive end Julius Peppers and strong safety Chris Harris.
TOP ROOKIE: The good news is the Panthers have three very solid candidates. Running back Jonathan Stewart gets the nod, but perhaps only because right tackle Jeff Otah has missed four games with a sprained knee. Starting free safety Charles Godfrey has also played well.
SPECIAL TEAMS MVP: Kicker Jon Kasay rarely has been better on field goals. He's 16 of 16 so far and is well-deserving of last week's four-year contract extension.
WORST PLAY: Sack/fumble/touchdown: The Panthers had been in control for much of the first half in Minnesota, until the Vikings' Antoine Winfield sacked Delhomme, recovered his fumble and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown. That tied the game 10-10 at halftime and the Panthers never recovered, eventually losing their first game of the season 20-10.
BEST PLAY: Delhomme-Rosario hookup: It's not often that a play in the first game of the season can be called a turning point, but this one was. The 14-yard TD pass as time expired provided the Panthers with a 26-24 road victory against (what was then) a Super Bowl contender and set the stage for Carolina's excellent first half of the season.
Best Trend
HOME SWEET BOFA: The Panthers are 5-0 at Bank of America Stadium, which is important for a few reasons: The last two times they won as many as six games at home they went to the NFC Championship (5-3 in 2005, 6-2 in 2003). These home wins are critical, they've been stashed away before the rugged second-half schedule, which has just three home games.
Worst trend
For a while, it seemed like Jason Baker couldn't get off a punt. In a span of five games, Baker had three punts blocked. The Panthers were lucky with this: Just one of those blocks – against Tampa Bay – came in a loss. And they seem to have tightened up in that area. They haven't allowed a block since the Bucs did it – three games ago.
Best Newcomer
BOOMER: Seems like all Rhys Lloyd does is run up to the ball and kick it as hard as he can. Yet his impact – he leads the NFL with 16 touchbacks – is profound. Thanks to Lloyd, Panthers foes start drives with the worst field position average in the NFC (23.7-yard line).
Scoring Milestone
Three Panthers already have scored four or more touchdowns – running backs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams (five each), and wide receiver Steve Smith (four).
That's significant because there have been five seasons in franchise history when the Panthers did not have as many as three players with four or more TDs – 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006.
If Stewart, Williams and Smith stick to their paces, the Panthers could have three players with eight or more TDs for only the second time. The only time so far was in 1999, when quarterback Steve Beuerlein threw 12 TDs passes to tight end Wesley Walls, 12 to wide receiver Patrick Jeffers and eight to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, who has two this season.
Hawaii Bound?
Eleven Panthers are positioned to have a chance at the Pro Bowl:
JAKE DELHOMME, QB: The Panthers likely will need a very strong second-half finish for him to make it. It's likely only three will go and other candidates include Arizona's Kurt Warner, Dallas' Tony Romo, New Orleans' Drew Brees, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb and the New York Giants' Eli Manning.
DEANGELO WILLIAMS, RB: Ranks seventh in the NFC in rushing and tied for 13th in touchdowns.
STEVE SMITH, WR: Should be a front-runner. Has come on strong after missing the first two games with a suspension.
JORDAN GROSS, OT: Isn't it about time he made it? If the Panthers stay hot and his play doesn't slip, he should have a good chance.
JULIUS PEPPERS, DE: It hasn't been his best season so far, but it's much better than last year and there have been times when he's been a true enforcer.
JON BEASON, MLB: The NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October is fast becoming known as one of the premier young defensive talents in the league.
CHRIS HARRIS, SS: He's definitely been playing at a Pro Bowl level with two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 40 tackles.
KEN LUCAS AND CHRIS GAMBLE, CBS: It's hard to separate them. Both have played very well so far. Lucas has two interceptions to one for Gamble. Gamble has 11 passes defensed and Lucas 10.
JOHN KASAY, K: With Rhys Lloyd handling kickoffs, Kasay is free to focus on field goals and extra points. He hasn't missed a kick yet and, dating back to last season, has made 21 consecutive field goals, tying the team record he set in 2002-03.
Quoting
“It's better to be known as ricochet than toast.”
Coach John Fox on the secondary's tendency to drop certain interceptions (the Panthers have nine drops by defensive backs and linebackers so far and five interceptions)
“This is what you do.”
Tackle Jordan Gross, encouraging quarterback Jake Delhomme before he led the Panthers on a game-winning drive in San Diego
“Is that what they said, that we softened them up? That's a positive spin on it.”
Running back DeAngelo Williams, who got a majority of the carries in the first half against Chicago, on teammate Jonathan Stewart's success in the second half against a wilting Bears defense
“We can't play well against these kinds of guys and then have Joe Schmo, third-string running back come in and gash us for 200 yards, like some teams do.”
Linebacker Na'il Diggs on the number of Pro Bowl-caliber quality running backs (including San Diego's LaDainian Thompson, Minnesota's Adrian Paterson and Kansas City's Larry Johnson) the Panthers faced early in the season. The Panthers held each of them to fewer than 100 yards
“It's different.”
Delhomme on winning a second-straight game (34-0 against Kansas City after beating Atlanta 24-9) by a wide margin
“He says a lot of stuff.”
Receiver Steve Smith on what coach John Fox told the team after a 27-3 loss against Tampa Bay
