Carolina Panthers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - Recap, Takeaways and More

In their second preseason game on Sunday night, the Carolina Panthers overcame a slow start to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 28-16.

After beginning the game with three straight 3-and-outs, running back Jonathan Stewart, who has been plagued by injuries over the last few seasons, came in and gave the offense a much needed boost, with his first rush going for 17 yards. On that drive, the Panthers went 66 yards in 4 plays, and Stewart burst through the defenders for the score to put the Panthers up 7-6.

On the next drive, Carolina's offensive success continued, and Stewart scored once again to put the Panthers up 14-6.

In the second half, the running game continued to impress, as backup running back Fozzy Whittaker ran the ball 13 times for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Backup wide receiver Brenton Bersin had a receiving touchdown in the second half from backup quarterback Derek Anderson, helping his case to make the final roster.

The offensive line and secondary both showed improvement, but there's still work to be done.

Now, let's take a look at players who impressed and players who disappointed.

PLAYERS WHO IMPRESSED:

Jonathan Stewart - Like I said earlier, Stewart has been plagued by injuries over the last few seasons, and not many thought that his return would have much of an impact on the offense. Stewart gave Panthers fans a little glimmer of hope with his performance. Although he only ran the ball 4 times for 26 yards, his first run was an impressive 17 yard run, and his 2 touchdowns helped boost the offense. If he can stay healthy, Carolina's run game could become the dominant force it once was.

Fozzy Whittaker - The backup running back greatly out-performed both Kenjon Barner and Darren Reaves, neither of which saw much action in this game (Reaves was injured and did not play). Heck, he even out-performed starting backs Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. Fozzy was an interesting pickup in the offseason and now looks as though he could make the final roster as the 3rd string running back. Once again, his stats were: 13 rushes, 71 yards, 1 TD.

Brenton Bersin - Last week, Bersin did not show up against Buffalo. He had only 1 catch for 19 yards. This week, he turned it around with 2 impressive catches, including a 16 yard TD catch from Derek Anderson. The starting receivers at this point look like they will be Kelvin Benjamin, Jason Avant, and Jerricho Cotchery. If Bersin can continue to impress, he may make the final roster as the 5th or even 4th receiver.

Byron Bell - The way that coach Ron Rivera has talked about the left tackle this offseason has made us all believe that he will get the starting job at the position. He may have just clinched that job with his solid play. In the postgame interview, Rivera said that he was not ready to declare Bell the starter, but that Bell played extremely well.

Antoine Cason - The cornerback did an excellent job in both coverage and tackling. He didn't give up any big plays and had 6 tackles, including 2 tackles for loss that were back to back. At a position that looked relatively weak to begin the preseason, Cason is looking strong and may have a case for the starting job.

Luke Kuechly - He impresses every week. Heck, he impresses every play. The 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year had 4 tackles, including a sack on Chiefs QB Alex Smith. It's scary to think that the best middle linebacker in the NFL is getting even better.

PLAYERS WHO DISAPPOINTED:

DeAngelo Williams - The starting running back couldn't get anything going to open the game, running 3 times for a total of 9 yards. Stewart very quickly took to the field in his place. Williams is nearing the end of his contract and getting older. Many say that once his contract is up, he should be cut. If he can't improve, I may join the people saying that.

Kelvin Benjamin - There were some bright spots, but Benjamin seriously disappointed me with his lack of discipline. In the final 2 minutes of the 1st half, the Panthers were in field goal range, but Benjamin let the cornerback, Chris Owens, get into his head, and Benjamin head-butted him. The boneheaded move gave the Panthers a penalty and moved them back 15 yards. Benjamin has looked pretty solid in the passing game, but he can't let defenders get into his head. He has to keep his composure. He failed to do so.

Josh Norman - The corner got pretty chippy last week, and did so again. Annoyed, coach Rivera pulled him from the game and was seen yelling at Norman, who didn't seem to care that his antics could draw penalties. Norman is by no means irreplaceable, and if he continues to make stupid moves on the field, don't be surprised to see him get replaced. Rivera is not a fan of the way he has been acting and neither am I.

We'll end this column with a few notes: defensive end Charles Johnson tweaked his hamstring during the game. His hamstring has been bothering him over the course of the offseason, so it's a little worrying. Linebacker A.J. Klein intercepted Chiefs backup QB Aaron Murray which led to a Panthers touchdown.

The Panthers are now 1-1 in the preseason. Their next game will be Friday, August 22nd at 7:30 p.m. at the New England Patriots.