The Carolina Panthers will try to get into the preseason win column for the first time on Saturday night, when John Fox's club welcomes the Baltimore Ravens to Charlotte for each club's third preseason game.

The Panthers have begun the warm-up period with road losses to the Giants (24-17) and Dolphins (27-17), and will need a win over the Ravens to avoid dropping to 0-3 in the preseason for the first time since 2002.

Despite the record, the worry of Fox and the coaching staff was probably eased somewhat last week, when the Panthers received better production from their first-string attack and led the Dolphins, 14-10, at halftime.

Quarterback Jake Delhomme was a sharp 5-of-7 for 47 yards in the victory, and running back DeAngelo Williams rushed eight times for 40 yards, including an impressive 25-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

The Panthers continue to miss running back Jonathan Stewart (Achilles) and wide receiver Steve Smith (shoulder), who have yet to play during the preseason to date but have a chance to be in the lineup on Saturday. Wideout Muhsin Muhammad (groin) could also be back after failing to appear against the Dolphins.

Defensively, Fox and company will head into the Baltimore game minus linebacker and defensive standout Jon Beason, who suffered a strained MCL against the Dolphins and is expected to miss the remainder of the preseason. Linebacker Thomas Davis (knee) and cornerback Charles Godfrey (hand) could also miss the contest.

While the Panthers have failed to find the win column in two outings, the Ravens moved to 2-0 in the preseason with a 24-23 win over the Jets on Monday night.

Interception returns for touchdowns by nose tackle Haloti Ngata and Jameel McClain were the highlights of the victory, and helped overshadow something of a shaky outing for the Ravens offense.

Quarterback Joe Flacco was just 8-of-18 passing in the victory, but his completions counted for 120 yards and he executed a nifty Statue of Liberty hand-off to running back Ray Rice for a three-yard first quarter touchdown.

Among the Ravens absent on Monday night were outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (heel), wide receiver Mark Clayton (hamstring), and cornerback Samari Rolle (neck), and none of those players are likely to appear before the start of the regular season.

Defensive tackle Kelly Gregg (shoulder) and tight end L.J. Smith (hamstring) were also injured against the Jets, and will probably miss the Carolina contest as well.

Baltimore last started the preseason at 3-0 in 2000, when they won all four warm-ups en route to the organization's first and only Super Bowl title.

The Ravens own a 2-1 advantage in their all-time preseason series with the Panthers, but were 20-17 home losers in the last such meeting, prior to the 2001 season.

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