WalterFootball.com - Detailed NFL Mock Drafts, Player Prospect Rankings, and One of the Largest Mock Draft Databases on the Web

2009 NFL Week 11 Review

Dolphins 24, Panthers 17

It's almost as if both teams tried their best to handicap and out-smart themselves in this game. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if John Fox and Tony Sparano met before kickoff and decided, "Hey, we run the ball really well, right? Let's fool everyone and pass the ball in key situations! Ha! We'll show em!"

Early in the game, both teams dialed up long passes on 3rd-and-1 plays. Six of Miami's first nine plays were passes, while Jake Delhomme finished with 42 attempts. Under no circumstances should Delhomme ever attempt 42 throws. I don't care if it's a five-overtime contest and his son is safe at home. The Panthers need to run the ball.

Unfortunately, Fox didn't get the memo. Delhomme finished 19-of-42 for 227 yards, one touchdown and a pick. He also nearly tossed two more interceptions.

On one sequence in the third quarter, Delhomme put on a clinic on how to be a horrific quarterback. On a 3rd-and-short, the Dolphins were caught substituting. Delhomme could have snapped it to give the Panthers a first down. When he didn't, Matt Millen had an aneurysm. Delhomme then scanned the field, pointed out the mike linebacker, but underthrew his intended target for an interception. It's been a long time since I've seen so much fail on one sequence.

DeAngelo Williams carried the ball only 13 times, though he managed to gain 122 yards. Jonathan Stewart was much less effective on his 12 rushes, compiling just 43 yards.

Steve Smith came up with seven grabs for 87 yards and a score.

Aside from Delhomme's ineptness, the story for the Panthers was their awful tackling and their inability to stop the Dolphins on third downs. Miami was 7-of-15 on third downs, while Carolina was just 3-of-13. One of the Dolphins' conversions was an 18-yard Lex Hilliard draw on 3rd-and-16.

The Panthers couldn't bring down Ricky Williams. He rushed for 119 yards on 22 carries, caught two passes for 19 more yards and scored three touchdowns.

Chad Henne was 17-of-29 for 172 yards and a score. Those stats don't say much, but he did a great job converting those third downs.

Henne targeted Davone Bess the most, finding his trusted target six times for 63 yards. Ted Ginn actually caught four balls for 32 yards. He came up with some amazing grabs, which had me yelling at the TV, "Why the f*** couldn't you do that against the Saints!?"

The Dolphins suffered a barrage of injuries. Center Jake Grove limped off with an ankle. Jason Ferguson was carted off with a knee injury. Backup center Joe Berger also hurt his ankle. Reserve lineman Nate Garner damaged his knee, forcing Berger back into the contest. And despite all of this, the Panthers still couldn't come up with a victory.