Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Delhomme felt good physically prior to the game.
"I needed that surgery so bad, because for a year and a half I had pain that really bothered me in the elbow. So I knew something was wrong," Delhomme said. "For me to have the surgery was a relief, more than anything else, because I didn't have the pain anymore. I didn't have that constant, everyday pain.
"So my arm felt great. But then again, I hadn't played since September of the year before. So the rust factor was a big thing for me. And San Diego, obviously, was a good team at the time."
The rust showed in the first half when Delhomme completed 11-of-24 passes for 170 yards, and drives repeatedly stalled deep in San Diego territory, forcing Carolina to settle for three John Kasay field goals and a 9-7 halftime advantage.
Still, the Panthers eventually scored a touchdown on a 31-yard fumble return by cornerback Chris Gamble and added a fourth Kasay field goal to take a 19-10 lead into the fourth quarter.
Then, suddenly, the Chargers offense erupted. In a span of four minutes and 18 seconds, quarterback Philip Rivers threw touchdowns to tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Vincent Jackson to give San Diego a 24-19 lead with just 2:27 left.
The way Delhomme figured it, that was just enough time.
"They came back late on us, and we had to make a drive. For me, it was just one of those five or six games in your career that you'll always remember," Delhomme said.
"We did not have (wide receiver) Steve Smith for that game, either. D.J Hackett and Dwayne Jarrett were in there playing (at wide receiver), and we had to make a comeback. And sure enough, we just went down the field on the last drive. No one panicked."
Starting at the Carolina 32-yard line and with one timeout, that sense of calm proved valuable. Delhomme directed the offense down the field slowly but surely, connecting with five different receivers with no play gaining more than 13 yards. The Panthers, fortunately, still had the timeout left when, on third-and-7 from the San Diego 20, Delhomme connected with wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad for six yards.
Carolina called timeout with just two seconds remaining, enough time for one last all-or-nothing play.
Delhomme thought he had a plan.
"I've got to be honest with you, I had predetermined before the snap that I was going to try to go to Dwayne Jarrett down the field on the left side, because Dwayne was a big guy and he was pretty fast, too," Delhomme said. "At the time, I grabbed him in the huddle and told him, 'Dwayne, just run by your guy and be ready.' I was going to try to hit him on one of those between-the-linebacker-and-safety deals."