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Panthers still looking for first home win

Dec 2, 2007 - 12:31 PM San Francisco (3-8) at Carolina (4-7) 1:00 pm EST

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) - For the Carolina Panthers, home is definitely not where the heart is.

The Panthers, who have dropped five straight overall, once again try for their first home win of the season on Sunday when they host the San Francisco 49ers.

Carolina fell to 0-5 at Bank of America Stadium with last week's dismal 31-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints in its worst effort of the season.

The Panthers' disastrous quarterback situation took another turn for the worse as David Carr was benched in the fourth quarter.

Carr got the start after 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde was a late scratch with a sore back, but struggled through a brutal performance.

Carr threw seven straight incompletions to start the game and finished just 10-of-22 for 95 yards and two interceptions. He was replaced in the fourth quarter by Matt Moore.

Panthers coach John Fox indicated that Testaverde will start against the 49ers - provided he is healthy.

"I'm almost reluctant to name one," Fox told the Charlotte Observer. "I think it would be fair to say, though, that if (Testaverde) was healthy, he would be the guy."

The 49ers snapped an eight-game losing streak last week with a 37-31 overtime victory over the Arizona Cardinals in perhaps the wildest finish to an NFL game this year.

Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain recovered Kurt Warner's fumble in the end zone to give the 49ers their first win since a 17-16 victory at St. Louis in Week Two.

For the first time this season, the 49ers generated an effective offense. Trent Dilfer passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Frank Gore rushed for 116 yards and two scores.

San Francisco still has scored an NFL-low 150 points.