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Smith among most valuable in league

Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith, right, holds onto the ball as he takes a hit from Ravens safety Ed Reed. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press The Spokesman-Review
Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith, right, holds onto the ball as he takes a hit from Ravens safety Ed Reed. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

To put it bluntly – and Jake Delhomme did – Steve Smith is the most valuable non-quarterback on any NFL team.

“Losing him would be like taking Michael Vick from Atlanta or taking Peyton Manning from the Colts,” the Carolina Panthers’ quarterback said after Smith caught eight passes for 189 yards and a backbreaking 72-yard touchdown Sunday in the Carolina Panthers’ 23-21 win over Baltimore.

Delhomme didn’t have to say it, the stats back it up: Carolina is 0-2 in games it has played without Smith, 4-0 in games with him.

Sorry T.O., but this guy was the best receiver in the NFL last season and he’s the best receiver in the NFL this season. He will, in fact, be the best receiver in the league for the foreseeable future now that he has Keyshawn Johnson to take a lot of pressure off him.

Johnson has held up his end of the bargain – his five receptions on Sunday gave him 32 for the season – seven more than any Carolina wideout other than Smith had a year ago, when Ricky Proehl and Keary Colbert each had 25. That was 78 fewer than Smith’s league-leading 103.

Milestones

Warrick Dunn set a Falcons record when he ran 90 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of a 27-14 loss against the Giants. The play broke Jerious Norwood’s 2-week-old team record, a 78-yard touchdown run in the Falcons’ last game against Arizona. It was also the longest run of Dunn’s career.

San Diego RB LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for just 71 yards, but surpassed Lance Alworth’s Chargers record with his 84th career touchdown in the first quarter. He added three more on similarly short runs, each punctuated with a ball flip and a wave.

McNair sidelined

Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was removed from Baltimore’s game against Carolina with a concussion and neck sprain.

McNair was hurt late in the first quarter when sacked by Michael Rucker and Chris Draft. McNair was slow getting up, then was removed from the game after a short delay. He was taken to the locker room for further evaluation. He was replaced by Kyle Boller, making his season debut.

Injuries pile up for Texans

Houston Texans defensive tackle Seth Payne injured his knee in the 34-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Irving, Texas, and is likely out for the season. Coach Gary Kubiak said Payne tore a ligament in his right knee.

Payne got hurt early in the fourth quarter. He was one of three Texans starters who left the game with injury.

Safety Glenn Earl left with a strained neck. He got hurt a few plays after Payne on the same drive.

Offensive tackle Zach Wiegert sprained his left knee. His replacement, Eric Winston, dislocated his finger but played through the injury.