Where was this earlier?

That has to be the question on the minds of a lot of Panthers fans after Carolina won big for the second straight game, 41-9 against the Giants. New York was playing at home in its final game at Giants Stadium and with a playoff spot on the line, but the Panthers looked like the team playing for something Sunday and improved to 7-8.

The Good: Almost everything.

Matt Moore made another convincing argument for getting a shot at the starting quarterback job next season, completing 15 of 20 passes for 171 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Jonathan Stewart ran over, around and through the Giants' defense, racking up 206 yards to join DeAngelo Williams in the 1,000-yard club.

Jonathan Stewart pummeled the Giants' D, running for one touchdown and setting up another with a 52-yard scamper.

The Panthers’ patchwork offensive line has been decimated by injuries but had an admirable performance, opening holes for Stewart and keeping Moore upright.

The defense had its second straight phenomenal performance, coming up with four sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Carolina has surrendered less than 10 points in three of its last four games, coming up with a win each time.

The Bad: As far as the team’s performance goes, there’s not a whole lot to criticize.

The only bad thing that happened for Carolina on Sunday was that veteran receiver Steve Smith suffered a broken left arm while catching a touchdown pass in the third quarter. That injury ends Smith’s season 18 yards shy of the 1,000-yard plateau, which he had reached in four straight seasons.

Smith had five catches for 60 yards Sunday, giving him 378 yards in his final four games. The team will miss him in the season finale against the Saints.

The Ugly: Most of the ugliness in this game belonged to the Giants, who laid an egg in a crucial game. After the huge loss at home, the Giants have to win next week and count on the Cowboys losing their final two games to get into the postseason.

Not likely.

It was a terrible way to wave goodbye to Giants Stadium for the home team, which lost the turnover battle 4-0, had a crucial touchdown-nullifying penalty, and was physically dominated by the Panthers.

For the Panthers, the only ugliness comes in thinking about what might have been. What if the team had played like this earlier? What if coach John Fox didn’t wait so long to turn to Moore? We’ll never know, but it’s something to ponder as the 2009 campaign winds down.

-- ANDREW SIMON