CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Jake Delhomme played like a playoff veteran to spoil Bill Parcells' return to the postseason.
Delhomme passed for 273 yards and a touchdown and Stephen Davis had an effective game on the ground as the Carolina Panthers rolled to a 29-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC wild card round.
Playing his first career postseason game, Delhomme had little trouble dissecting the NFL's top-ranked defense. He set the tone from the start, completing a 70-yard pass to Steve Smith on his first attempt.
Delhomme was comfortable throughout and went 18-of-29, including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Smith in the third quarter that gave Carolina a 23-3 lead.
"You have to enjoy these times, you don't know when they're going to happen again," Delhomme said. "I didn't feel the pressure going into this game. I was trying not to do too much. I just wanted to do what my team needs."
Davis complemented Delhomme by rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers' defense also was effective, holding the Cowboys to a field goal and 140 total yards through three quarters.
Smith and Muhsin Muhammad each went over 100 yards receiving for the Panthers (12-5), who will play at St. Louis on January 10 in the divisional round.
John Kasay tied a postseason record with five field goals for the Carolina, which beat Dallas for the second time in as many playoff meetings. The Panthers defeated the Cowboys in the divisional round in 1996 for their only other postseason win.
It was a disappointing return to the playoffs for Parcells, who is in his first year as Cowboys' coach. He watched his team make crucial mistakes all night in an embarrassing performance.
"They outplayed us," Parcells said. "I'm disappointed. I'm realistic, though. I've got to improve the team."
Carolina forced the game's only two turnovers and held a lopsided 380-204 advantage in total yards. The Panthers became the first team since Pittsburgh in Super Bowl X that went through a postseason game without a turnover or penalty.
"I thought we played well, defensively and offensively," Panthers coach John Fox said. "This was as complete as game as we've had all season. We picked a good time to start clicking."
Quincy Carter scored on a nine-yard keeper in the fourth quarter for Dallas (10-7), which was back in the playoffs for the first time since 1999.
Kasay kicked field goals of 18 and 38 yards in the first quarter, giving the Panthers a 6-0 lead. Carolina outgained the Cowboys, 116-39, in the opening period.
Early in the second quarter, the Cowboys reached the Panthers' 20. But Richie Anderson fumbled and strong safety Mike Minter recovered for Carolina at the 11.
Davis extended the lead to 13-0 with 6:10 left in the first half when he ran 23 yards for a touchdown on 3rd-and-10.
After Billy Cundiff kicked a 37-yard field goal with 72 seconds left in the half for the Cowboys, Delhomme helped the Panthers extend the lead before the break.
Delhomme found Muhammad down the left sideline for 49 yards and the Panthers' receiver recovered his own fumble at the 2, setting up Kasay's 19-yard field goal. Muhammad had four receptions for 103 yards.
Delhomme completed 10-of-19 passes for 192 yards in the first half. He was just 9-of-24 for 175 yards and a TD in a 24-20 loss at Dallas in November.
Less than six minutes into the third quarter, Delhomme put the game out of reach with a 32-yard TD to Smith, who had five catches for 135 yards.
"We did what we needed to do," Smith said. "We hit them short, then went for the big plays."
Kasay kicked field goals of 32 and 34 yards around Carter's nine-yard TD in the fourth quarter.
Carter, also making his playoff debut, went 21-of-36 for 154 yards and one interception. He got little help from his running game as Troy Hambrick gained 29 yards on eight attempts.
"There were a lot of missed opportunities," Carter said. "You have to make plays. I thought (the postseason was) all it is made up to be."
