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BALTIMORE (AP) -- Jake Delhomme wasn't about to be upstaged by a
backup quarterback who hadn't tossed a touchdown pass since
Christmas. Delhomme threw for a career-high 365 yards and two touchdowns,
and Carolina slipped past the Baltimore Ravens 23-21 Sunday for its
fourth straight win. | Clayton: Smith worth the wait |  Any doubts about Steve Smith's value to the Panthers were answered in Sunday's strange but satisfying 23-21 victory over the Ravens. The wait this season has been for the return of the NFL's top receiver, and two words were apparent Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium: He's back. For more from John Clayton, click here.
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After Ravens quarterback Steve McNair left with a concussion and
sprained neck in the first quarter, Kyle Boller took over. A
starter for three years before being displaced by McNair, Boller
threw three touchdown passes to provide Baltimore (4-2) with its
biggest scoring output since Week 2. But every time Boller and the Ravens did something right,
Delhomme answered. His favorite target was Steve Smith, who had
eight catches for 189 yards and a score. Smith missed the season's first two games with a thigh injury.
The Panthers (4-2) haven't lost since his return. "When Steve came back, certainly it helped. In my opinion, it's
like taking Michael Vick away from Atlanta, like taking Peyton
(Manning) away from the Colts," Delhomme said. "Other teams got
to account for him on every play." After Mark Clayton took a tipped pass for a 62-yard touchdown to
bring the Ravens to 16-14 with 4:33 to go, Delhomme tossed a
72-yard touchdown pass to Smith on the next play from scrimmage. "I thought I was going to throw to Keyshawn (Johnson),"
Delhomme said. "But when I look, all I see is 89 running down the
field with his hand up in the air. A lot of guys were giving me
grief on the sidelines, saying they were waiting for the ball to
come down." It landed in Smith's arms, and the speedy receiver carried it
into the end zone to deflate the record crowd of 70,762. "That was huge, just to come out there and be able to shut the
crowd up like that," Panthers running back DeShaun Foster said. A 7-yard pass from Boller to Todd Heap made it 23-21 with 2:13
left, but Delhomme made sure Baltimore never got the ball back. The Panthers came in ranked last in the NFL on third-down
conversions, yet they went 7-for-15 on Sunday. | Scouts Inc.'s take ... | 
In a tight game, the Ravens underestimated the Panthers' wide receivers. Baltimore left its cornerbacks alone against Steve Smith and company too often, and Carolina exploited them. Jake Delhomme made a few mistakes but had an impressive outing for the Panthers. For the Ravens, Kyle Boller flashed some potential after replacing Steve McNair (concussion). Ravens WR Mark Clayton scored two touchdowns off tipped balls and Todd Heap was outstanding, but Smith was the difference in this game.
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"It's always frustrating when the other team converts third
downs," Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "We wanted to get
off the field, but they kept making big plays. I give them a lot of
credit." John Kasay kicked three field goals and the Panthers limited
Baltimore to 80 yards rushing -- the fourth straight game they held
the opposition under 100 yards on the ground. "That's what we do. We're going to stop the run and make a team
one-dimensional," safety Mike Minter said. Boller entered after McNair was left woozy after being sacked by
Mike Rucker and Chris Draft. Boller had been relegated to backup
duty since the Ravens obtained McNair in an offseason trade with
Tennessee, but on this day he was asked to win a game against a
very tough Carolina defense. "I had an opportunity to go out there and do some things but we
came up short," Boller said. "All I can do is go out there and
give my best and try and move the ball." Boller went 17-for-31 for 226 yards. Two of his touchdown passes
were deflections that Clayton turned into scores, the first of
which gave Baltimore a 7-3 lead. Delhomme answered with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Drew Carter
to put Carolina ahead 10-7, and the Panthers never trailed after
that. Delhomme went 24-for-39 with two harmless interceptions. The
first one ended his club-record run of 150 passes without being
picked off. But he was good enough to get 23 points, the most scored against
Baltimore this season. "We'll win 90 percent of those," Ravens linebacker Bart Scott
said. "I don't know if we had any breakdowns; they just make the
plays." McNair went 2-for-4 for 4 yards and an interception. X-rays and
CT scan on his neck, and an MRI on his head, were all negative. Boller, who hadn't thrown a touchdown pass since tossing three
against Minnesota on Dec. 25, proved to be a capable replacement. "He did a good job when he came in. He got them some points and
moved the ball," said Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers, who
had a team-high eight tackles and two sacks. Delhomme, however, was the only quarterback smiling after the
game. Game notes
The loss ended Baltimore's six-game home winning streak.
... Ravens S Dawan Landry, who got his first career interception,
left with a sprained knee ligament. ... Carolina LB Thomas Davis
left in the third quarter with bruised ribs. DT Al Wallace left in
the fourth quarter with an arm injury.
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