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Lions aim to continue early roll in clash with Cam, Panthers

Sep 11, 2014 - 6:29 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Carolina Panthers managed to secure their first season-opening victory in six years despite missing their franchise quarterback.

The Panthers are expected to have Cam Newton under center this Sunday, however, as they play host to the fellow 1-0 Detroit Lions at Bank of America Stadium.

Newton was inactive for Sunday's 20-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a fractured rib he sustained in the preseason. It marked the first regular season game the 25-year-old had missed since getting taken first overall in the 2011 draft.

Head coach Ron Rivera and Newton both appeared adamant that he would be able to suit up in Week 1, but instead he was held out with an eye towards Week 2 when Carolina looks to extend a seven-game regular season winning streak at home.

"It was probably one of the hardest decisions I've had to make," Rivera said on Monday. "But at the same time, it was a decision I had to make. In the long run -- win or lose -- we're better off now. He'll be another week into his recovery."

Newton was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.

Luckily for the Panthers, they did win with Derek Anderson under center. In making his first start since 2010, Anderson threw for 230 yards with a pair of touchdown passes.

Anderson hit tight end Greg Olsen for a five-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and later stretched Carolina's lead to 17-0 with a 26-yard scoring strike to rookie wideout Kelvin Benjamin early in the fourth. That allowed Carolina to win on opening weekend for the first time since 2008.

"We're very fortunate. We've got a couple of really good backup quarterbacks. Derek is an established quarterback in this league," Rivera said. "At the same time, I know who Cam Newton is and I want him on the football field."

The Panthers saw the best and the worst out of Newton the last time they faced the Lions, a 49-35 setback in Detroit on Nov. 20, 2011. Newton scored two rushing touchdowns and passed for another, but also was intercepted four times.

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford, meanwhile, threw five touchdown passes in that win and is coming off an excellent performance on Monday night in a 35-14 victory over the New York Giants that came in Jim Caldwell's debut as Lions head coach.

Running an offense under first-year coordinator Joe Lombardi, Stafford passed for 346 yards versus the Giants and completed a pair of touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson. Stafford also ran for a score as the Lions outgained the Giants 417-197.

"I felt pretty good. No question, we have things to work on. There are times we had the ball in the red zone and we stalled out," noted Stafford. "Early on in the game we didn't run the ball as well as we wanted to. We ran it great in the fourth quarter when we really needed it, which is a great sign. There are things we can work on and things we can get better at. We did a great job of communicating."

Johnson was his usual dominant self with seven receptions for 164 yards. He also tied Herman Moore's club record by catching a pass for the 107th straight game.

Golden Tate posted six receptions for 93 yards and Detroit's defense intercepted Giants quarterback Eli Manning twice in the second half.

The Panthers lead the all-time series 4-2.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Newton should be ready to go and the Panthers even had trouble keeping him off the field last weekend as he was seen at one point running out to the offensive huddle and speaking some words to his teammates.

While that was technically an illegal move by Newton due to him being in active, it showed just how bad he wanted to be involved in the game.

"He was just unhappy. He wants to play in the worst way, he really does," said Rivera. "The one thing I told him is 'Be there for your teammates on the sideline.' In fact, we had to pull him back a couple times. He wants to be a part of everything we do. That's who he is and that's why his teammates elected him team captain, because it means a lot to him. It is very personal for him as far as being one of the leaders on this team."

Newton will get his wish this weekend, but will have to be mindful of his rib injury, especially when he tries to make plays with his feet. Don't expect the likes of defensive tackles Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh to take it easy on the Panthers quarterback.

In having success last weekend, Anderson relied on two targets that should also get some looks from Newton. Olsen, Carolina's leading receiver last year, had eight catches for 83 yards, while Benjamin, a 2014 first-round pick, made six receptions for a game-high 92 yards in his debut.

The Panthers thrive on ball control and Anderson did his part by not turning the ball over and getting sacked only one time.

On the other hand, Carolina managed three turnovers versus Tampa Bay. Cornerback Antoine Cason and safety Roman Harper each had an interception and star linebacker Luke Kuechly put the game away with a forced fumble that rookie corner Bene Benwikere recovered.

Kuechly also had nine tackles and a sack and leads the NFL with 329 tackles since coming into the league in 2012.

The Panthers will certainly have their hands full with Detroit's combo of Stafford and Johnson.

Stafford did it all on Monday night, becoming the first Lions quarterback to throw for 300-plus yards, two or more passing touchdowns, run for a score and not get intercepted in a game since Eric Hipple in 1981.

"He's got a natural feel for the pocket. He certainly slid away from pressure and got himself in position where he can make some throws for us outside of the pocket," Caldwell said. "Matthew's got talent, obviously, as we all know, inside of the pocket and outside of the pocket. I think that's what makes him dangerous. He can run the ball a little bit. That touchdown run was pretty good."

As well as the offense played, Detroit's defense was just as dominant and was led by reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week DeAndre Levy. The linebacker had 10 tackles and recorded an interception, his NFL-leading seventh by a linebacker since the start of last season.

Levy and fellow linebacker Stephen Tulloch both intercepted Newton in the last meeting.

Detroit lost cornerback Bill Bentley for the rest of the regular season with a torn ACL he suffered early in Monday night's win. That led to an increased role for rookie Nevin Lawson, a recent fourth-round pick.

"I think he came in and played a great game. That's what we expect of him. He's on the roster for a reason," said Lions safety Glover Quin. "It's not like he's just here to play special teams or have a redshirt year, and he's here to play. We have confidence in him and he came in and did a great job, that's what we expect going forward."

OVERALL ANALYSIS

It was a shootout the last time these teams met and that could be the case with a healthy Newton under center for the Panthers trying to keep pace with Stafford and Johnson.

"It is obviously a big challenge for us," says Rivera. "We were able to get an opening day win and now will try to follow it up against a team that has some of the best weapons in football on both sides of the ball."

Carolina, though, thrives on ball control and attempting to run-and-gun with the Lions could prevent that from factoring into the gameplan.

Expect Detroit to attack Carolina's secondary early and often to put the Panthers behind the eight-ball early on.

Sports Network predicted outcome: Lions 30, Panthers 27