CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Aug. 28, 2004) -- The Carolina Panthers knew their matchup with the New England Patriots was only a preseason game.

It still felt very good to avenge a painful loss in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Rodney Peete found Walter Young for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:48 to play, rallying the Panthers past the Patriots 20-17.

"As much as you want to downgrade it, and say that it was preseason, they were still the guys who beat us in the Super Bowl," Peete said, "so it feels pretty good to beat them."

Jake Delhomme passed for 201 yards and a touchdown for Carolina, which has won eight consecutive preseason games. Linebacker Brandon Short added a key interception to set up the winning drive, which erased a 17-10 lead built by New England's starters.

The victory gave the Panthers a measure of revenge, even if they again struggled to stop Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense.

Brady stung the Panthers' defense, passing for 217 yards and two touchdowns in the rematch of that thrilling Super Bowl. Adam Vinatieri, who won that game with a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left, missed a 56-yard attempt to tie it as time expired this time around.

"It was like deja vu, but we have to remember that it is only preseason," Delhomme said.

Brady and the Patriots picked apart the Panthers early, rolling to 216 total yards and a 14-3 lead in the first 20 minutes. Brady, who passed for 354 yards and three touchdowns in the 32-29 Super Bowl victory, often had plenty of time to find receivers downfield thanks to steady play from his offensive line.

"Play-calling at the line can really be an advantage," said Brady, who completed 18 of 27 passes. "We had a really good game plan. The receivers got good spacing on the secondary and executed well."

Both teams played their starters for three quarters, with Brady and the Patriots getting the best of their counterparts heading into the fourth.

"That meant nothing to us," Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest said of the Super Bowl rematch. "We don't really care. We won the Super Bowl. That's over. There's nothing to talk about."

Carolina Pro Bowl performer Stephen Davis missed the game to rest a sore knee, and reserve DeShaun Foster had no luck running behind a patchwork offensive line that was without starters Tutan Reyes and Matt Willig. Foster fumbled twice, including deep in Patriots' territory right before halftime, and finished with 16 yards.

The Panthers had said they were hyped for the rematch. But it was New England, which looked listless in the 31-3 loss to Cincinnati last week, that came out in midseason form.

After a scoreless first quarter, Brady connected with Daniel Graham for a 46-yard touchdown. Graham beat linebacker Dan Morgan in coverage and was wide open on the right side for the score 17 seconds into the second quarter.

The Patriots increased that lead to 14-3 when Brady found Benjamin Watson over the middle for a 6-yard score.

"I thought there was some improvement there from last week," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "We didn't handle the end-of-game situation very well with the people that were in there."

With the running game stymied early, the Panthers turned to Delhomme, who directed a 73-yard scoring drive he punctuated with a 9-yard toss to Ricky Proehl with 2:51 left in the half.

The Panthers had a chance to take the lead before the break, driving to New England's 8. But Foster fumbled on a third-down catch, turning the ball over with 25 seconds left in the half.

GAME NOTES:

• Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith injured his left hamstring when he was tackled by Asante Samuel with 7:37 left in the third quarter. He did not return and the extent of the injury was not immediately known.
• This game marked the sixth time in 10 seasons a Super Bowl rematch occurred during the following preseason. The title-winning team had won four of those previous games, most recently with Baltimore beating the New York Giants 38-9 in 2001.
• Patriots cornerback Ty Law did not play due to a sore leg.