Panthers Defense Shows Improvement

Following week four’s ugly home loss to Tampa Bay, Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins said his team had “no heart”, defensive end Julius Peppers was being widely criticized for his lack of production and a dark cloud seemed to hover above the city of Charlotte.  While the news of quarterback Jake Delhomme’s season-ending surgery has quelled much of the enthusiasm from Sunday’s win at New Orleans, the Panthers can still feel good about their defensive improvement.  The Saints dominated the time of possession and gained more yards than the Panthers, but still couldn’t manage more than one touchdown and 13 points against a physical Carolina defense.  Coach John Fox says his defense had its best outing of the season and played hard in New Orleans.  The 3-and-2 Panthers are on the road this week for a matchup with the 3-and-2 Arizona Cardinals.