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# Carolina Panthers move on to NFC Championship game
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/carolina-panthers-move-on-to-nfc-championship-game/
- Published: 2004-01-12T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T03:31:00.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Stephen Saux*

The Carolina Panthers, in a thrilling double-overtime game, ended the St. Louis Rams’ season Saturday and advanced to the NFC Championship game, where they will face the Philadelphia Eagles, who also won their game in overtime.

Carolina dominated the Rams for three and a half quarters with the help of backup running back DeShaun Foster, who filled in for injured Stephen Davis. With 6:29 left in the game and an 11-point lead, Panthers kicker John Kasey’s 54-yard field-goal attempt hit the left upright. Those points could have been a knockout blow but turned out to be the spark St.

Louis needed to ignite their players and a quieted home crowd. The Rams quarterback, Marc Bulger, proceeded to orchestrate a 15-play scoring drive, which was capped by a 1-yard run by Marshall Faulk.

After a successful 2-point conversion, the Rams cut the Panthers’ lead to just 23- 20 with 2:39 left. Rams kicker Jeff Wilkens then recovered his own onside kick giving St. Louis a short field and plenty of time to win the game outright. Instead, coach Mike Martz elected to play for the tie, and Wilkens sent the game into overtime with a 33-yard field goal at the end of regulation. Martz’s decision showed his lack of faith in his offense but also a great respect for the Carolina defense, which held the Rams to only 64 net yards rushing and caused three interceptions. As it turned out, one of those interceptions would set up Carolina’s game-winning touchdown.

The Panthers took control first in overtime by driving down to the Rams 22-yard line. Kasey made a 40-yard field goal that would have won it, but the Panthers were called for delay of game. After two runs by the offense, Kasey came back on the field, this time from 45 yards, but was wide right. The Rams had their kicking woes also when Wilkens’ 53-yard attempt fell short. Carolina was forced to punt in the ensuing drive, but after a Ricky Manning interception, quarterback Jake Delhomme threw a 69-yard touchdown strike to Steve Smith to end the fifth-longest game in NFL history. It also ended a 14-game home winning streak for the Rams in the Edward Jones Dome. The capacity crowd sat stunned as the Panthers improved to 4-0 in overtime this year and won their first road playoff game in franchise history.

This article is dedicated to Charlie Shannon, a beautiful human being that the world lost on Dec. 21.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 12, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/011204.pdf?ref=smdp.com)