Panthers intend to keep Air McNair grounded

"He'll make some plays and come around. It's not the first time he's had a game he's thrown two or three picks," center Mike Flynn said. "He'll come back. He'll be focused. He's going to have a lot better game Sunday."

Not if the Panthers have anything to say about it. After an 0-2 start, Carolina has regained its stature as one of the top teams in the NFC.

"At the start of the season we were just about as unfortunate as you could get," coach John Fox said. "We just didn't get off to a real smooth start as far as the injury bug. It just takes you a little while to regroup from that."

The Panthers are 3-0 since wide receiver Steve Smith returned from a thigh injury, but Carolina is still struggling on offense - even though quarterback Jake Delhomme has thrown four touchdown passes and just one interception.

"He has a good arm. He has great weapons around him. He has the best receiver in the league in Steve Smith," Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. "It's going to be a tough challenge for us."

The Ravens' defense is used to carrying the offense, but Baltimore sure could use a hand from McNair. The veteran quarterback, in turn, wouldn't mind some assistance from a running game that ranks 24th in the NFL.

Running against the Panthers won't be easy, because Carolina improved the defensive front during the offseason by signing free agent tackle Maake Keomeatu, formerly of the Ravens.

"He is a big physical presence inside," Fox said. "He is stout, he is hard to move out of there and he has been a good addition for us."

That's no surprise to Flynn, who spent many a weekday banging helmets with Keomeatu on the practice field.

"He's a real strong guy, very good at the point of attack. He can take on double-teams. They needed a guy like that to stuff the run, and he does a great job," Flynn said. "I had trouble with him in practice and I'm sure it will be a struggle in the game. That's probably the best front four we'll play all year."