Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme broke a finger on his throwing hand in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Jets. Carolina coach John Fox said that Delhomme may be replaced by Matt Moore this Sunday against Tampa Bay because of the injury. Delhomme threw four interceptions on Sunday, but Fox said that if the quarterback doesn't play it'll be entirely injury-based. "If his finger wasn't an issue, I couldn't with a straight face make a change just with him," Fox said. "That was a combined effort by the offensive players, not just one player. ... It was poor not just by the quarterback." Delhomme has throw eight touchdowns against 18 interceptions this season.

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith is questionable for Sunday's game against the Jets. Smith is dealing with sore ribs. He took a knee to the back in a victory over Atlanta on Nov. 15, but hadn't missed any practice time since.

Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers has been limited since injuring his hand against the Saints earlier this month. Carolina coach John Fox wouldn't discuss the severity. "I could say," Fox said. "But I probably wouldn't." Linebacker Jon Beason told reports that the hand is broken. "Without being too telling, it does affect your play," Fox said. "But he'll work through it and we'll work through it."

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith was in a minor car accident prior to Thursday's game against the Dolphins. A Carolina official said that somebody "bumped into" Smith's car on his way to the stadium, but he wasn't hurt and continued to the game. Smith had seven receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Miami.

Ricky Williams rushed for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns, and the Dolphins beat the Panthers 24-17 on Thursday night for their fourth win in six games to get into the AFC playoff picture, according to an Associated Press report.

Panthers left tackle Jordan Gross broke his ankle on Sunday and could be out for the season. Gross was carted off the field after a Falcons player fell on his leg.

Panthers running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are both questionable for Sunday's game against the Falcons. Williams sat out practice on Friday for the second time in three days because of a sore left knee. Stewart is dealing with an injury to his Achilles' tendon. Williams has 307 yards in Carolina's past two games.

The Falcons are going to ride buses to their game in Charlotte on Sunday. "We will get there quicker by taking a bus," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "Everybody started laughing, but when Coach told us we were going to get there a little quicker, then everybody was like ?oh yeah, that's the better route to go," wide receiver Roddy White said.

Panthers wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad wants the team to open up their offense. "We have to almost throw caution to the wind a little bit; try not to play with as much caution," Muhammad said. "We're going to make some mistakes and I think that is part of playing football. "I would love to be aggressive and I think at certain points of the game we are aggressive and certain points we're not aggressive. That's totally on our coaches to decide when to do those things."

Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme went to the hospital to check out a sternum injury, but claims he'll play on Sunday. He was taken to the hospital in the fourth quarter of Carolina's win over Arizona after he was driven into the ground by defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. He had a CT scan of his sternum. "They hit me where it hurts," Delhomme, whose injury was officially described as a chest contusion, told the Charlotte Observer. "As soon as I got hit, I felt it immediately. I couldn't catch my breath and I felt like it was my sternum. "I got the CT scan and I think everything is good."