Beuerlein Does Enough, Panther Defense the Rest

Stand-in quarterback Steve Beuerlein kept the Carolina Panthers on their playoff track, thanks to another second-half shutout by their defense.

Beuerlein directed two scoring drives in the third quarter and was six for seven for 55 yards. The Panthers’ defense did the rest in a 20-10 victory Sunday over the St. Louis Rams, getting five of its six sacks in the second half.

“I’m grateful to our best friend, a great defense,” said Beuerlein, who started in place of the injured Kerry Collins. “They kept us in the game. Fortunately, we didn’t put ourselves in too big of a hole.”

The Panthers, who outscored St. Louis, 17-0, in the second half, have given up four second-half touchdowns all year. The Rams (3-8) had 243 yards total offense, 70 in the second half.

Anthony Johnson had 123 yards in 27 carries and a seven-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for the Panthers (7-4), who equaled their victory total from their inaugural season.

With Collins nursing an injured right shoulder suffered in last week’s victory over the New York Giants, Beuerlein got his first start since Game 4.

The Panthers squandered favorable field positions in the first half, starting from their 49, 48, 40 and 35 and producing only three points. The third quarter was a different story, though.

Starting from the 46 on their first possession, the Panthers tied the score at 10 on a nine-yard pass from Beuerlein to Wesley Walls.