NFL Playoff Capsules: Cardinals stun Panthers 33-13, win from first SB

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Arizona Cardinals were expected by most to be easy prey in another futile trip to the East Coast.

Instead, Kurt Warner has the Cardinals within a victory of their first Super Bowl appearance - with a big assist from Jake Delhomme and the bumbling Carolina Panthers.

The once discarded Warner was steady in a 33-13 rout of the Panthers on Saturday night, throwing two touchdown passes, while Delhomme threw five interceptions and lost a fumble.

The target of jokes for years with their history of ineptitude, the Cardinals became the last NFC team to reach the conference championship since the 1970 merger with a win few saw coming.

Entering as a 10-point underdog and ridiculed for their 0-5 record in the Eastern time zone this season, Arizona (11-7) raced to a 27-7 halftime lead and cruised past the mistake-prone Panthers (12-5), who were the league's only unbeaten team at home in the regular season.

"It's a group of guys that put their mind to going out and playing great football," Warner said. "Everybody that needed to step up, stepped up. Everybody that needed to make a play, made a play and that's what it's all about."

They got plenty of help from Delhomme, who turned in a brutal performance on his 34th birthday. Just one shy of the NFL playoff record for interceptions, Delhomme became the first player to have five picks in the playoffs since Oakland's Rich Gannon in the 2003 Super Bowl against Tampa Bay.

He completed only 17 of 34 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown. His woes made Steve Smith a non-factor. The Pro Bowl receiver didn't have his first catch until the final minute of the third quarter.

"I'm at a loss for words," Delhomme said. "Usually I'm not. For one reason or another, I didn't give us a chance tonight."

Smith caught a meaningless 8-yard touchdown pass from Delhomme with 50 seconds left, when the Cardinals had already begun looking forward to either visiting the New York Giants or hosting Philadelphia on Jan. 18.

"I'm putting on my Philly hat right now," said Larry Fitzgerald, who had eight catches for 166 yards. "We would love to have a home game."

Arizona had been embarrassed when it ventured far from home, but the closest it came was a 27-23 loss here in October when the Cardinals blew a two-touchdown lead.

There would be no suspense this time.

While Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin (hamstring) sat out, Fitzgerald more than made up for the loss. The 6-foot-3 receiver set a team playoff-record for yards receiving while shredding the Panthers' leaky secondary.

The Cardinals' defense stopped Carolina's potent running game, too. A week after shutting down Atlanta's Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams was held to 63 yards in a crushing loss for the Panthers, the No. 2 seed in the NFC who had visions of reaching their third NFC title game in six years.

Instead, Warner stole the stage. A decade after his storybook MVP season in winning the Super Bowl with St. Louis a year after he was teammates with Delhomme in NFL Europe, the 37-year-old Warner has another team on the brink of a most unlikely title.

And it was a stunningly ugly performance by Delhomme.

Entering with a 5-2 postseason record, Delhomme's 95.0 playoff passer rating coming in was better than any other quarterback in this season's playoffs.

But Delhomme threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the first half, making poor reads, holding the ball too long and giving the Cardinals great field position.

Defensive end Antonio Smith stripped Delhomme and recovered the ball at the Carolina 13 late in the first quarter. Two plays later Edgerrin James' 4-yard touchdown put the Cardinals ahead to stay 14-7.

Next possession, rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie picked off Delhomme at the goal line, leading to the first of four field goals by Neil Rackers.

Delhomme started hearing boos when he was intercepted by Gerald Hayes midway through the second quarter. Warner turned that into another touchdown, finding a streaking Fitzgerald for a 29-yard pass for a stunning 27-7 halftime lead that silenced the once towel-waving crowd.

It was a horrible performance for the Panthers in front of their ailing owner. Jerry Richardson visited with Smith on the field before the game before watching from a suite as he awaits a heart transplant that's limited his daily activities and halted his travel on the road with the team.

"We didn't do anything, and you know before you go on the field that if you don't play well, you are going home," said Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers, an unrestricted free agent. "So it's not a surprise. Not a huge something that we aren't ready to deal with. It didn't happen for us today and we've got a long time to think about it."

The Panthers played like a dominant home team for only the opening drive. Williams had a 31-yard run, setting up rookie Jonathan Stewart's 9-yard touchdown scamper for a 7-0 lead.

Ravens edge Titans 13-10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A not-so-raw rookie and a trustworthy veteran lifted the Baltimore Ravens to the brink of the Super Bowl.

With the help of a brutal defense that knocks opponents silly, of course.

After all, these are the Ravens, who love nothing more than to win grudge matches. And, this one was worthy of the WWE.

Baltimore survived 13-10 on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans thanks to Matt Stover's 43-yard field goal with 53 seconds remaining.

The unflappable Flacco was certain the 40-year-old kicker would get his team into next weekend's AFC title game at either Pittsburgh or San Diego.

"I just watched on the big screen," said the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games. "I didn't watch it live for whatever reason."

Maybe Flacco's reason was simply that he never flinches. Nor does his team, which took the wild-card route to the NFL championship in 2000 and just might do it again.

"We've been confident in ourselves all year," the first-round draft pick from Delaware said. "It seems like we've been on the road for the longest time. It doesn't matter to us. We're going to go out there and battle the crowd, battle the other team, and give it our best."

Their best has them at 13-5 after Stover, the last member of the Ravens who played when the franchise was in Cleveland, nailed his field goal.

"I would say this would be the No. 1 (kick in my career)," Stover said, then added, "but we've got some more kicks, too. So let's just be humble about that."

Humble after a rumble.

Two teams with an extreme dislike for each other never stopped pounding it out in the wind and rain.

The difference: Baltimore forced three turnovers and never gave away the ball.

"We just continued to fight and refused to let them in (the end zone)," linebacker Bart Scott said. "We made the plays we had to ... the ball came out. We'll take it any way we can get it."

Baltimore's postseason run looks eerily similar to when it won the championship after the 2000 season. Back then, it also was a wild card and also won in Tennessee on the way to the title.

"It's great to make our own history, our own path," Scott said. "That team has its own identity and we're trying to create our own."

It was so rugged that the highlight-reel play was All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis' explosive second-quarter hit on Titans fullback Ahmard Hall near the sideline. Hall's helmet flew off and both players began jawing at each other.

The nasty words never stopped flowing. But the Ravens backed it up with just enough points, climaxed by the winning kick.

"It's a little shocking," said Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck, who slammed down a few small metal barriers lining the tunnel leading to the Titans' locker room at the end. "You go out and play defense the way you did. At the end of the day, realistically you have two, three turnovers inside the 20, you're not supposed to win.

"Playoff football, those are the mistakes you can't have as a team."

The 40-year-old Stover also made a 21-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for a 10-7 lead.

Rob Bironas' 27-yarder with 4:23 left in regulation tied it at 10.

Then Flacco connected with Todd Heap on a 23-yard pass on third down, eventually leading to the winning kick.

Flacco almost had a major blunder on Baltimore's next-to-last series when he nearly stepped out of the back of the end zone while passing. Few replays were shown at LP Field, and Titans coach Jeff Fisher dismissed the play afterward.

"I wasn't out because they didn't call it," Flacco said.

Tennessee, a plus-14 in turnover margin while winning the AFC South, wasted a half-dozen scoring opportunities with errors. One came on Samari Rolle's interception at the Ravens 12 on a popup Kerry Collins threw under pressure from a blitz in the second period. Another was Collins' fourth-down fumble in Baltimore territory, which the quarterback recovered. The third was LenDale White's fumble at the Baltimore 17 in the final minute of the half.

White was in for rookie Chris Johnson, who left with his right ankle wrapped late in the first half. Without Johnson, the Titans moved well through the air, with Justin Gage making 10 receptions for 135 yards.

But they couldn't finish.

"We really have no one to blame but ourselves," Collins said. "This one's going to hurt for a while."

Baltimore led the league with 34 takeaways, won the turnover battle last week in a 27-9 wild-card victory at Miami, then did so again Saturday. Perhaps the biggest Tennessee turnover came with about 9 minutes to go when Alge Crumpler fumbled near the Baltimore goal line. Fabian Washington recovered, preventing the Titans from taking a late lead.

With Johnson dominating early, the Titans went on top 7-0. Collins hit all three passes on a 65-yard drive that was helped by an illegal contact penalty on former Titans cornerback Rolle.

Johnson, the only rookie in the Pro Bowl, covered 28 yards with a screen pass, and Collins hit Gage for 20 yards before Johnson surged right and dived into the end zone for a 7-0 edge.

Flacco, who struggled in a 13-10 loss to the Titans on Oct. 5 in Baltimore, matched that touchdown with a 48-yard throw down the right sideline to another former Titan, Derrick Mason.

The second quarter was scoreless, but very confrontational, with as much pushing, shoving and yelling as catching and tackling.

Bironas missed a 51-yarder midway in the third period despite having the wind at his back, adding to Tennessee's litany of blunders. And when Jim Leonhard returned a punt 29 yards to the Titans 41, Baltimore finally had good field position.

A 37-yard pass to Mark Clayton on which two defenders missed the ball got the Ravens to the 4. Stover's 21-yard field goal 50 seconds into the fourth quarter gave the Ravens their first lead.

His 43-yarder moved them within one game of the Super Bowl, and considering how the Steelers and Giants won the big game via that route in recent years, who can bet against them?

-- Barry Wilner

Titans hurt themselves - again - with turnovers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Titans turned in the NFL's best record by avoiding mistakes, sacking quarterbacks, forcing turnovers and running the ball.

Then they got to the playoffs.

The Titans cost themselves the chance to host their first AFC championship Saturday by seemingly trying to squeeze in every mistake possible into a 13-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

"No question," Titans quarterback Kerry Collins said. "The things we did all year to help us win ballgames we didn't do today. Turnovers, penalties, what have you. To say it's disappointing is an understatement. This is a tough one to swallow.

The Titans didn't sack rookie quarterback Joe Flacco even once after coming up with 44 during the season. LenDale White had lost only one fumble all season until he fumbled at the Ravens 15 - one of three turnovers inside the Baltimore 15. They also had 12 penalties, and the running game evaporated when Pro Bowl rookie Chris Johnson hurt his right ankle and didn't play for most of the game.

"This obviously was a very, very difficult loss, one that was a result, as I should put it, (of) probably our own self-inflicted mistakes," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.

Remember, these Titans went 13-3 and led the NFL most of the season in turnover ratio, finishing at plus-13. In this game, they didn't force a single turnover yet lost three on White's fumble, Collins' interception and the most costly - veteran tight end Alge Crumpler's fumble a yard away from the goal line with 8:57 left in the game.

A chance at going up 14-10? Gone.

Crumpler stood near his locker and quietly answered questions, taking the blame for his fumble after being slammed by Ravens linebacker Bart Scott and safety Jim Leonhard to lose the ball. Crumpler said he knew how important possession was in such a tight game.

"It's a feeling I don't know when I'll ever get rid of," Crumpler said.

He wasn't alone.

The Titans had All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and end Kyle Vanden Bosch back. A defensive line that came up with 39 1/2 sacks could not take Flacco down once.

"We had so many opportunities, and we just let it get away from us," end Jevon Kearse said.

Kicker Rob Bironas, who missed only four field goal tries all season, had the wind at his back when he pushed a 51-yard attempt just wide left after a replay challenge by Baltimore coach John Harbaugh erased a 5-yard reception by Bo Scaife for not getting his right foot down.

Losing Johnson hurt the most.

The rookie had 100 total yards with 11 carries for 72 yards and one reception for 28 and scored Tennessee's lone touchdown, an 8-yard scamper around the right side for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. He had a 4-yard carry midway through the second quarter, went to the sideline and had his right ankle retaped and tested himself.

He spent the second half wearing a parka and sipping on a hot drink.

Scott said he wouldn't feel sorry for the Titans, not with the Ravens losing five starters themselves early in the season.

"It was a physical game. We try to do this against any back. We try to make it physical, make it a rough day for them. Sometimes they don't hold up," Scott said.

Collins said losing Johnson's speed - he ran a 4.24-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine - hurt.

"We still had opportunities and didn't capitalize on them," Collins said.

The loss left the Titans in shock, and linebacker Keith Bulluck said he was a bit dumbfounded.

"We had three turnovers; we gave away nine points. You understand what I'm saying? At least nine points," he said.

The Titans had rested through their regular season finale and their first-round bye after earning the AFC's No. 1 seed for the first time since 2000. Fisher denied that hurt his team Saturday, instead pointing to all the mistakes.

Now the Titans have to figure out how to deal with a second straight playoff loss in their first game. First, they have to deal with the emotions.

Fisher said this difficult loss would linger. Collins, who will be a free agent, asked if a player ever gets over a loss like this and added he didn't know.

"This one's going to sink in, and it's going to hurt for a while," Collins said.

-- Teresa M. Walker

Ref: No safety on Flacco pass

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Referee Terry McAulay ruled that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco did not step out of the back of the end zone on a fourth-quarter pass that could have given Tennessee a safety in their playoff game Saturday.

Baltimore won the game 13-10.

The Ravens led 10-7 when they recovered Titans tight end Alge Crumpler's fumble at their 1. On third down, Flacco retreated to throw and came dangerously close to the back line. As the crowd at LP Field howled, he threw an incompletion.

"That was me," McAulay said of who was responsible to watch for a safety on the play. "In my opinion, he did not step on the line. There was green or whatever the color was between the end line and his foot."

Although the play was shown again on the video board in the stadium, there were no conclusive replays. Nor did CBS show any telling replay.

"We didn't get a view or a look or anything," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.

"I think my foot wrapped around and came back inbounds," Flacco said. "I almost pulled a Dan Orlovsky."

Lions quarterback Orlovsky stepped well out of the back of the end zone in a game this season.

"I don't think I was out," Flacco added. "The only place I saw it was on the big screen and it's not really zoomed in there.

"I wasn't out because they didn't call it."

The Ravens punted after the incompletion and the Titans marched downfield for a tying field goal. Baltimore then won the divisional playoff game on Matt Stover's 43-yard field goal with 53 seconds remaining.