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Panthers deny two-point conversion, keep Lions winless

Nov 16, 2008 - 11:52 PM CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- The Carolina Panthers' running game was so good, Jake Delhomme didn't get a chance to avenge his horrid effort last week.

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined to run for 250 yards and three scores, and the Panthers held on for a 31-22 victory over the still-winless Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Williams and Stewart became the first running backs in franchise history to eclipse the 100-yard mark in the same game, helping the NFC South-leading Panthers (8-2) to their fourth straight win.

The duo helped Carolina run for a franchise-record 264 yards.

"That's the formula to win in this league," said Delhomme, who completed 10-of-19 passes for 98 yards and a TD one week after throwing a career-worst four interceptions in a 17-6 win over Oakland. "When you can run it, you give your team a chance."

Williams, who ran for 120 yards on 14 carries, put Carolina on top for good with a 56-yard run that made it 14-13 with 2:39 left in the second. Stewart scored from 22 yards out following a fumble recovery for a 21-13 lead with 1:03 left in the first half.

"Whether (Stewart) is out there or I'm out there, you don't get a different look," Williams said. "He can bash you up and if you let him break, he can take it 60 or 70 yards."

Stewart, who has been slowed by a foot injury, ran for 130 yards on 15 carries.

"I think we complement each other well," Stewart said. "We've just got to keep pounding the ball."

"Both of them had runs that inspired us today," Panthers coach John Fox said.

Still, the Panthers' big rushing day was almost for naught as the desperate Lions nearly tied it late.

Detroit (0-10) pulled within 24-22 on a quarterback sneak from Daunte Culpepper with 6:05 left, but Culpepper was stopped just short on the ensuing two-point conversion.

"It converged right there," said Culpepper, who returned to the site of his career-altering knee injury three years ago. "My head was right there but I didn't get the ball across there, so that's a tough break. Wish we could have had that one, too."

Culpepper appeared to be kept out of the end zone due to a face mask penalty, but there was no flag on the play.

"Well, yeah, but that's their call," Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. "There are hard calls down there."

The Lions still had a shot after forcing a punt, but Culpepper was intercepted by Charles Godrey, who returned it 16 yards to the Detroit 4-yard line. That set up Williams' second TD run with 4:44 left, sealing the win.

The Panthers joked with Godrey, who was denied a touchdown by Culpepper.

"I think with (Godfrey's) first interception - he was kind of shocked," cornerback Chris Gamble said. "He got it under his belt, so hopefully he will get another one and score on the next one."

Safety Chris Harris had fun at the rookie's expense.

"The Cardinal rule is to never ever get caught by a kicker or quarterback," Harris said. "He broke the Cardinal rule today. He got tackled one-on-one by a quarterback."

Detroit pulled to within 21-16 thanks to a 27-yard field goal from Jason Hason just before halftime. He made it 24-16 with a 29-yarder with 8:29 left in the third.

Hanson also kicked a 40-yard and a franchise-record tying 56-yard field goal in the first half.

Calvin Johnson caught six passes for 65 yards, including a 29-yard TD, for Detroit, which put forth a much better effort than last week's 38-14 loss to Jacksonville. Lions rookie Kevin Smith ran for a season-high 112 yards on 24 carries.

Culpepper completed 20-of-35 passes for 207 yards with two interceptions. Culpepper, who retired this summer after he was not offered a starting job, tore three knee ligaments here as a member of the Minnesota Vikings on October 30, 2005.

He signed with Detroit on November 4 and made his first start in place of the injured Dan Orlovsky last week.

The Lions have become the laughingstock of the league, having lost 17 of their last 18 games.

"Have we failed? Yes. Have I failed? Yes. Am I going to give up? No way," Marinelli said. "Am I discouraged? No way. I'm not."