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.

Panthers Open Season With Victory Over Bucs

The Carolina Panthers hadn't won a season opener since 2008. They were starting the season on the road against one of their NFC South rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Everyone was calling Tampa Bay a sleeper team, while saying that Carolina would fall off this season. To make matters worse, Cam Newton would be missing the first game of his career due to a lingering rib injury. Backup quarterback Derek Anderson would have to step up and deliver.

And boy, did he ever.

Anderson played a huge role in helping the Panthers win their first game of the 2014 NFL season, completing 24 of his 34 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He even channeled his inner Cam Newton, rushing three times for 10 yards, including a two-yard rush on 4th and 1 that led to the Panthers' first touchdown.

In what seemed like a scenario that spelled doom for Carolina, the Panthers absolutely dominated the Bucs for three and a half quarters.

Then came memories of the Panthers of old. The Panthers who couldn't win close games. The Panthers who always let victory slip through their fingers.

Up 17-0 with 7:23 to go in the game, the Panthers allowed Bucs QB Josh McCown to finally get Tampa on the board with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Chris Owusu. The play was set up by a roughing the passer penalty on safety Thomas DeCoud.

Tampa Bay quickly got the ball back and drove right down the field to score again, this time on a quick six-yard pass to Bobby Rainey.

Once again, Tampa's defense shut down Carolina's offense and got the ball back. However, Luke Kuechly came through as the hero, forcing a fumble that was recovered by rookie cornerback Bene Benwikere. 

Kuechly finished the day with nine tackles and a sack to add to the game-winning forced fumble, which led to Graham Gano's second field goal of the day to make the final score 20-14.

The Panthers held the Bucs offense in check for most of the game before the Bucs' rally, intercepting two very bad passes from McCown and sacking him three times. McCown also fumbled twice, but the Bucs recovered both fumbles.

Aside from one 54-yard rush by Jorvorskie Lane, the Panthers did not allow the Bucs to get a run game going. Not counting Lane's rush, the Panthers allowed only 48 rushing yards, 27 of which came from McCown. They held Tampa's top running back, Doug Martin, to nine yards on nine carries.

Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin lived up to the hype that he was getting from making spectacular and clutch catches in the offseason and preseason, as he had six receptions for 92 yards and one very incredible touchdown catch with a Tampa defender draped all over him.

Tight end Greg Olsen was reliable as always, catching eight passes for 83 yards and a touchdown of his own.

The two weak points for Carolina, the offensive line and the secondary, both played very well. Safety Roman Harper and cornerback Antoine Cason each had an interception, and the offensive line gave up only one sack while getting the running lanes open for the Carolina running backs. DeAngelo Williams, who dyed his hair pink in honor of his late mother who passed away of breast cancer in May of this year, led the team with 72 rushing yards on 14 carries. The team had 113 rushing yards on 33 carries total.

The Panthers are now 1-0 and will face the Detroit Lions, who have not yet played at the time of this writing, in Carolina's home opener. The Bucs fall to 0-1 and will face the 0-1 St. Louis Rams at home.

Panthers Final Roster

The Carolina Panthers final 53 man roster is as follows:

Quarterback (3): Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb

Running Back (4): DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Tolbert, Fozzy Whittaker

Wide Receiver (5): Kelvin Benjamin, Jason Avant, Jerricho Cotchery, Brenton Bursin, Philly Brown

Tight End (4): Greg Olsen, Ed Dickson, Brandon Williams, Richie Brockel

Offensive Line (11): Byron Bell, Garry Williams, David Foucault, Amini Silatolu, Trai Turner, Fernando Velasco, Andrew Norwell, Nate Chandler, Ryan Kalil, Brian Folkerts, J.J. Jansen

Defensive Tackle (4): Star Lotulelei, Kawann Short, Dwan Edwards, Colin Cole

Defensive End (5): Greg Hardy, Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy, Mario Addison, Wes Horton

Linebacker (6): Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Chase Blackburn, A.J. Klein, Jason Williams, Ben Jacobs

Cornerback (5): Antoine Cason, Charles Godfrey, Josh Norman, Melvin White, Bene Benwikere

Safety (4): Thomas DeCoud, Roman Harper, Tre Boston, Colin Jones

Kicker (1): Graham Gano

Punter (1): Brad Nortman

Notable Cuts: CB Josh Thomas, CB James Dockery, WR Tavarres King, S Robert Lester

Panthers Close Preseason with Victory Over Steelers

The Carolina Panthers will enter the 2014 NFL regular season with a little momentum.

On Thursday, the Panthers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 10-0 to finish the preseason with a record of 2-2.

Quarterback Cam Newton and most of the other starters sat out to rest up for the impending season.

Backup quarterback Derek Anderson, who just recently became a father (congratulations Derek!), played for most of the first half and completed 8 of 14 passes for 98 yards. 

Late in the second quarter, after a snap sailed past him, Anderson attempted to scoop up the ball and missed. After falling and reaching to get the ball, a Pittsburgh defender hit Anderson in the hand with his helmet as the Steeler recovered the fumble. Anderson missed the rest of the game after injuring his hand. Luckily, x-rays came back negative and his hand is okay.

Third string QB Joe Webb came in and led the offense the rest of the game. He did a good job doing so, completing 8 of 11 passes for 116 yards, and led the Panthers to the only touchdown of the game (a 2 yard rush by Fozzy Whittaker).

Both Webb and Whittaker have performed exceptionally well this preseason. Whittaker finished the game with 23 rushes for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Due to their outstanding play, it would be shocking to see one of them not make the final 53 man roster, which the Panthers must have ready by 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin finished the game with 4 receptions for 56 yards. He more than proved himself this preseason and will without a doubt be the number one receiver come Week 1.

The Panthers' defense also played well, as they held the Steelers to only 185 yards of total offense and recorded 6 sacks.

One of the Panthers' biggest issues has been starting a season off strong. Under Ron Rivera, they've started each of the past three seasons 1-3.

They'll have to start this season out strong as they have a tough midseason stretch with games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Philadelphia Eagles.

This win, however, should carry some momentum into the regular season.

The Panthers open the regular season at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 7 at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Panthers Handled by Patriots

If the Carolina Panthers' performance on Friday night is any indication of how the regular season might go, fans are in for a long season.

The Panthers were handled by the New England Patriots 30-7 to fall to 1-2 in the preseason.

Carolina didn't score until there was only 1:12 left in the game. Backup quarterback Joe Webb threw a three-yard touchdown pass to backup tight end D.C. Jefferson to keep the team from being shut out.

Cam Newton played for the entire first half and for the first series in the 3rd quarter, but was unable to get anything going. He completed 8 out of 12 passes for only 88 yards and was sacked three times.

On one play, Newton took off after being unable to find a receiver. After getting 7 yards, he was tackled and appeared hurt. He missed one play, then returned to the action. It was found after the game that he had suffered a back contusion after getting x-rays on his back done. Fortunately, the x-rays came back negative and Newton will be fine.

However, the play should make the team and fans wary. The offensive line was a complete letdown in this game, giving up 3 sacks and allowing the Patriots to get pressure on the quarterbacks all night. The line was also unable to help the run game at all, as the linemen weren't able to open any gaps and got beat off the snap all game long. As a team, the Panthers ran the ball 22 times for only 63 yards.

Meanwhile, the defense was just as disappointing as the offense. The Panthers gave up 30 points one time last season, in a 31-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints. That includes preseason and postseason as well. The biggest setback for the Panthers' defense was the poor play in the secondary. Corners were getting beat and safeties weren't giving help over the top. The New England quarterbacks shredded the secondary for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns. Perhaps the biggest letdown in the secondary was Antoine Cason, who has had a great offseason and performed well in the first two preseason games. This game, however, was much different, as Cason couldn't keep up and got beat all night. A week ago, he was looking like he could be the number one cornerback. Now he looks as though he'll be fighting for his job.

As bad as this game was, there were a few bright spots. Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin had 5 catches for 47 yards. Not big numbers, but he was consistent and has stayed consistent over the course of the preseason. He and Newton are building a rapport that will be exciting to watch in the regular season. Benjamin is looking as though he could be the number one receiver for this team.

Linebackers Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly looked great as per usual. Arguably the best linebacker duo in the NFL, these two together anchor the defense, and if they can both stay healthy, the defense should be okay. They combined for 11 tackles.

The Panthers' final preseason game is Thursday, August 28 at the Pittsburgh Steelers at 7:30.

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.

Carolina Panthers vs. Buffalo Bills - Recap, Takeaways and More

The Carolina Panthers fell to the Buffalo Bills, 20-18, in their first preseason game on Friday night.

Cam Newton did not play as he continued to rest his ankle that he had surgery on this past offseason. Backup quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Joe Webb played well. Matt Blanchard did not, but we'll get to that later.

Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin gave Panthers fans hope for the future with his incredible catch in the second quarter.

Benjamin raced down the sideline as Anderson lobbed the ball to him. After making contact with Buffalo cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Benjamin tripped and stumbled, nearly falling, but was able to gather his footing just enough to dive and catch the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Many people called it the play of the game.

The Panthers' front seven on defense performed well as usual, but the secondary, as well as the offensive line, struggled. Those two groups are Carolina's weak points so far, and will have to improve if the team hopes to sustain the success from last season.

Now, let's take a look at some players who impressed, and some who didn't.

PLAYERS WHO IMPRESSED: 

Derek Anderson and Joe Webb - The two backups played well in Cam's place, combining to go for 21-35 with 245 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. Both quarterbacks also did a good job running the ball, as Webb ran 4 times and led the team with 30 rushing yards and Anderson ran twice for 10 yards. Both of Anderson's runs came on third down when the pocket collapsed and he was able to escape and get the first down.

Kelvin Benjamin - The first round draft pick only had one catch, but it was the most impressive of the game. Benjamin did a great job getting past the corner on the play and showed off his great hands. Had he not tripped, he probably still would have made the catch. At 6'5", Benjamin will be bigger than many corners covering him. You can't teach size.

Tavarres King - The young wide receiver played exceptionally well, hauling in 4 receptions for 50 yards. He also had one long catch in the third quarter, but it was called back due to a holding penalty on an offensive lineman. Nobody expected this Panthers receiving core to be any good, but King and Benjamin are doing their best to prove the doubters wrong.

Brandon Williams - The backup tight end had 3 receptions and 50 yards, along with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. If he continues to play the way he did Friday night, he could be a great backup to Greg Olsen. Cam Newton did well his rookie season in two-tight end sets with Olsen and Jeremy Shockey, and the Panthers could go back to more two-tight end sets this season with Williams opposite of Olsen.

Kony Ealy - The second round draft pick had 3 tackles, one in the backfield. After starting out slow, Ealy showed why the Panthers drafted him to begin with: his explosive first step off the line caused him to generate pressure in the backfield, nearly getting to the quarterback and helping shut down the run game. If Greg Hardy is gone after this season, Ealy will be a good player to take his place. And having a season backing up "The Kraken" and Charles Johnson, two of the best defensive ends in the game, will help mold Ealy into a dominant defender.

Chase Blackburn - Playing with Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly would make any linebacker stand out, but Blackburn played without either and still performed well. He also had 3 tackles and one in the backfield like Ealy. He was able to get to the ball quickly and stuff the running backs.

PLAYERS WHO DISAPPOINTED:

Offensive Line - Towards the beginning of the game, the line did well with Derek Anderson as the quarterback... then things went south quickly. The line couldn't protect Matt Blanchard or Joe Webb, and couldn't help get the run game going at all. They couldn't open up gaps for the running backs or keep the pressure off the quarterbacks. At one point, every starter but Ryan Kalil returned, but the line did not improve. If these linemen don't improve, Cam will be running for his life this season.

Matt Blanchard - The backup quarterback will probably not make the final 53 man roster if he can't improve. He only completed one pass, and threw an interception that was miles away from any Carolina receiver. He was also sacked twice.

Running Backs - Kenjon Barner and Darrin Reaves took to the backfield to prove themselves. They failed. Unable to get anything going besides one goal line touchdown by Reaves, the backs combined to get 27 rushing yards on 16 carries. Backup QB Joe Webb had more yards than that. The blame does not solely fall on them, as the offensive line was no help. However, both backs performed poorly. Hopefully, the Carolina running backs will perform better than this, because Cam cannot carry the load on offense.

Brenton Bersin and Tiquan Underwood - Two receivers who many thought could make a difference on this team failed to do so. Bersin had only one catch for 19 yards and Underwood did not have a single catch. Bersin may not make the final roster if he doesn't step it up. Underwood will probably still make it, but he'll need to step up as well.

Secondary - All night, the Panthers secondary was burned. Unable to stay with receivers step for step, unable to give help, unable to play zone well, and unable to impress. Cornerback Josh Norman did have an interception in the end zone, but nearly got in a few fights, and that kind of player is not the kind that any team needs. This secondary has to help the front seven if the Panthers want to return to the playoffs this season.

We'll end this column with a quick note: the NFL is experimenting with extra points this preseason by moving them back to the 20 yard line. Carolina backup kicker Jordan Gay missed an extra point in the second quarter after Kelvin Benjamin's touchdown.

Carolina's next game is next Sunday, August 17th at 8:00 pm in Carolina. They will play the Kansas City Chiefs.