CHARLOTTE— Forget about the Panthers’ West Coast offense. It’s West Coast defenses that have done the trick this season.

Steve Beuerlein threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns as the Panther offense rolled over San Francisco 34-16 Sunday at Ericsson Stadium. It was Carolina’s third win of the season, two of them against the 49ers and another against Seattle, and the team’s second-highest point total. In the first meeting at San Fran, the Panthers won 38-22.

“We’ve definitely had some good success against them. I don’t know exactly what it is,”Beuerlein said. “I wish it was always the way it is the last couple of times against these guys.”

Beuerlein and the Panthers now own four straight wins over San Francisco, thanks mainly to a strong familiarity with the 49ers. Panther head coach George Seifert led San Fran from 1989 to 1996, andCarolina’s roster is dotted with former 49ers.

“We just love playing the 49ers,”tight end Wesley Walls said. “We have so many ex-49ers in this locker room, guys get fired up about it.”

The Panthers scored 17 or fewer points in their four losses, but reeled off three 80-yard drives Sunday. Carolina took the opening kickoff and played keep-away for 7:33, scoring on the 16th play of the drive when Beuerlein hit Isaac Byrd in the end zone from 3 yards out.

The 49er offense, averaging 400 yards a game, responded immediately on Jeff Garcia’s toss to Terrell Owens, but a failed extra point left the Panthers on top.

Then came the second amazing Panther drive — 12 plays for 80 yards in 6:01 — capped by Tshimanga Biakabutuka’s wide-open catch from 2 yards out.

“I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we come out and move the ball down the field, eat the clock and put points on the board,”wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad said. “It keeps our defense enthused, it keeps our fans enthused, it does a lot of confidence-building.”

The offense’s success also created a little friendly competition with the defense: anything you can do, we can do better.

On the 49ers’ next possession, Garcia threw behind Owens and into the waiting arms of Mike Minter, who snagged the ball at the 30 and raced toward the goal line for his first NFLtouchdown. The pick also was Garcia’s first in 151 attempts.

“I caught it and saw Ihad some room to run,”Minter said. “Once Ihad that shot, I was like, whatever it takes, I’m getting it in the end zone.”

The Panther defense surrendered one more touchdown on a perfect Garcia-Jerry Rice connection in the second quarter. And while San Francisco topped its season average with 411 yards, Carolina’s defense held the 49ers to their lowest point total since the first meeting in Week 2.

“Offensively, they did a heck of a job, yet I think our defense made the plays they had to make,”Seifert said.

The Panthers went up 24-13 at halftime after Joe Nedney’s 30-yard field goal with a minute remaining. A short San Francisco punt set Carolina up at the 49er 34 for its first possession of the third quarter, and Beuerlein needed just three passes to cover the distance. Biakabutuka got lost for the second time inside the 10, grabbing a swing pass on the left side and racing in untouched for a 31-13 advantage.

A pair of field goals over the final inconsequential 27 minutes gave the Panthers plenty of time to ponder next week’s game at Atlanta. Carolina has followed each of its big wins with a 15-10 home loss to the Falcons, a 16-13 offensive meltdown at home toDallas and an embarrassing 24-6 showing at New Orleans.

“We haven’t been able to win two in a row all year. We’ve been on that rollercoaster,”Walls said. “We’ll score a lot of points, the next time we’ll come out and lay an egg. It’s a big challenge to our offense to come out next week and play well.”