It was ugly. It was horrible. It was terrible. It was disgusting. It was legalized assault. Whatever phrase you want to use to describe the Carolina Panthers’ performance Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals, the bottom line is the Panthers are out of the playoffs.

A few weeks ago, I said Jake Delhomme was not 100 percent after his off-season elbow surgery and some of the zip was off of his passes. This was not more apparent than on Saturday. Delhomme looked like a junior college quarterback being called up to face the Steel Curtain defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970’s.

Delhomme wasn’t facing the Steel Curtain, he was facing Arizona’s defense. This defense was ranked 19th overall in the NFL, 22nd in passing yards allowed and 16th against the run.

The Panthers managed to score just 13 points.

Carolina marched down the field on its opening possession, Jonathan Stewart punched the ball into the end zone and the team seemed like it was on its way to a victory and a date in the NFC Championship Game.

But someone forget to inform the Cardinals, that they were the Arizona Cardinals. The same team which after Saturday’s win became the last NFC team since the AFL and NFL merger in 1970 to reach the conference championship. And on top of all that, it had only won three playoff games in its history.

Of course, the Cardinals were helped greatly in the victory by Delhomme and his six turnovers. Delhomme needed to be escorted by John Fox and the Panthers coaching staff to the bench for the rest of the evening after the third interception.

It can be understood why the Panthers were reluctant to bench Delhomme because the backup quarterbacks are Matt Moore and Josh McCown. Neither of these players are anywhere close to being as good as Delhomme even on a bad night, but this wasn’t a regular season game where you have 15 other times to get it right. This is the playoffs where one bad game sends you home until training camp.

Fox needed to sit Delhomme on the bench. It could have been for one series or two series, just enough time for Delhomme to talk to offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson and talk about changes in the game plan. Instead, Delhomme kept running out to the huddle and throwing interceptions.

While some fans believe the Panthers should tinker with the roster and make wholesale changes, this is a team that went 12-4 in the difficult NFC South. The team doesn’t need to be ripped apart and built back up.

There will be several players lost to free agency and cut because of salary cap concerns, but this happens every year to every team. The Panthers core of Delhomme, Julius Peppers, Jon Beason, DeAngelo Williams, Steve Smith, Jeff Otah and Jordan Gross will be back next year. These players are a great foundation to build around, but there does need to be a few upgrades done to ensure the team remains near the top of the NFC.

The defensive line, which had been one of the strengths of the team for years, is no longer feared around the league except for Peppers. The secondary is getting better, but could improve with a free agent free safety or using a top pick on one.

Offensively, the Panthers are solid at running back and along the offensive line. The wide receivers besides Smith and Muhsin Muhammad are not worth mentioning. For years the Panthers have been trying to find that third receiver and it’s time the team addresses this issue.

At quarterback, Delhomme is going to have another off-season to strengthen his elbow and should be fully recovered by next season.

But if Delhomme would to be injured again, where does the team turn? If Fox didn’t have enough confidence to put in Moore or McCown despite Delhomme’s performance Saturday night, this means Moore and McCown aren’t able to play in the NFL. Last year, the Panthers signed and started Vinny Testaverde for six games at the ripe age of 44.

It’s time for the Panthers to address the quarterback situation and sign someone to be there to push Delhomme and if the need arises, to replace him in games where he is not playing well.