Cam Newton's Return Powers Panthers to Win

Cam Newton missed the first game of his NFL career last week. Many thought he'd be rusty. Many thought his lingering rib injury would keep him from playing well.

He proved them all wrong.

Newton completed 22 of his 34 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown despite being sacked five times and led the Carolina Panthers to a decisive 24-7 win over the Detroit Lions.

It's the first time since 2008 that the Panthers have started a season 2-0. That year, they finished with a record of 12-4 and won the NFC South.

The Panthers also showed why they should be in the discussion for best defense in the NFL, as they sacked Lions QB Matthew Stafford four times and had one interception. They also forced three fumbles and recovered two of them.

The defense was without defensive end Greg Hardy, who was deactivated a few hours prior to kickoff. Earlier this year, Hardy was found guilty of assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend. He is appealing the decision, but in the wake of the Ray Rice scandal, outside pressure to deactivate Hardy finally got to head coach Ron Rivera, who claimed it was his decision and that it was in the best interest of the team.

Mario Addison, Wes Horton, and rookie Kony Ealy each took Hardy's place, rotating throughout the downs. Although neither Horton nor Ealy really stood out, they helped stuff Detroit's run game and helped get pressure on Stafford. Meanwhile, Addison quietly added 2.5 sacks to the stat sheet.

Last week, it was the big story that Cam Newton would not play. Backup QB Derek Anderson did a great job in his place. This week, it was that Greg Hardy would not play. The backups in his place did a great job. The Panthers have proven that they have good depth on this team, something that will surely help them in their quest to put together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.

Carolina's secondary, arguably the most questionable position, played extremely well, as they held Calvin Johnson to only six receptions for 83 yards and no touchdowns. Along with Melvin White's interception, cornerback Antoine Cason helped the team out in a big way with 10 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who had a solid game last week, struggled as he had three drops and only two catches for 46 yards. He did, however, pull down an impressive one-handed catch along the sideline. Tight end Greg Olsen once again led receivers with six receptions for 72 yards. Jason Avant caught the sole Cam Newton touchdown.

With running back DeAngelo Williams out with a thigh injury, the running game was in Jonathan Stewart's hands, as both Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whittaker suffered injuries and did not return to the game. Stewart ran the ball 15 times for only 37 yards, but his two-yard touchdown was quite impressive as he barreled through a few Detroit defenders. Newton also added 19 yards on four carries.

The Lions had many missed opportunities. Kicker Nate Freese missed two field goals and Calvin Johnson dropped a catch in the endzone. That's 13 points that Detroit missed out on. Meanwhile, Panthers kicker Graham Gano had an impressive day, making three field goals, one from 53 yards out. He even recovered a fumble on a kickoff return.

The Panthers will be at home next week against the 1-1 Pittsburgh Steelers in a Sunday night showdown. The Lions, now 1-1, return home to face their NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers, who are also 1-1.