For the second week in a row the Carolina Panthers (7-8) played the role of spoiler, completely dismantling the playoff-hopeful New York Giants 41-9 in all phases of the game.

Who’s the star of the game this week?

Well, I could talk about the Carolina defense, which sacked Eli Manning four times, snagged two of his passes and accounted for a half dozen quarterback hurries while holding the (8-7) Giants to 17 points below their scoring average.

Matt Moore would be another obvious candidate, having thrown for three touchdowns in back-to-back games while looking more and more like he should be the starter under center in 2010.

My pick, however, is Jonathan Stewart.

With past Giants luminaries on hand, like hall of famer Lawrence Taylor, to celebrate the last game in Giants Stadium, Stewart punched N.Y. in the mouth with a career high 206 yards and one score. He proved to be a bulldozer that wrecked the Giants party.

Not to mention it was also the third time in four games that Stewart broke the century mark, which have all ended in Panthers victories.

It’s like I always say, good things happen when Carolina runs the ball, and the proof is in the numbers. Five of their seven wins this season have come with either Stewart or DeAngelo Williams rushing for more than 100 yards.

For the season, Stewart now has 1,008 yards, right behind Williams, who has 1,117 yards and was the Panthers’ best offensive weapon this season before a nagging ankle injury either limited his carries or sidelined him for a few games.

Stewart has simply picked up the mantle, and all is well in Pantherland.

Damon Ford is a former journalist who is now a public relations professional working in the public and private sectors in Charlotte. He is 8-7 in predicting Panthers games.

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