Defense at high level for Panthers

Sep 20, 2017 - 10:43 PM CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers are doing their best work on the defensive side of the ball and that follows the lead of their head coach, who likes the hard-nosed approach.

Ron Rivera also isn't shying away from building confidence as the Panthers head into the third game of the season. With the New Orleans Saints arriving for Sunday afternoon's game, it marks the first matchup of the season against an NFC South Division opponent.

"This is going to be a good football team," Rivera said of his Panthers. "People better not sleep on them."

The Panthers have just the seventh 2-0 start in franchise history. Three of those have come in a four-year span.

Carolina has held its first two opponents to a combined 7-for-28 on third downs.

Much of it comes from strategy because the Panthers aren't just lining up with the notion that their defenders are going to overwhelm the opposition.

"We ran different types of pressures," Rivera said. "We ran zone pressures. We ran man pressures. We played zone coverage. We played man coverage."

So the Panthers are mixing it up, all along keeping the mindset that a physical brand of football is going to suit them best.

"We always know defense wins games, that is our philosophy," defensive end Mario Addison said.

The defense has set a standard during the opening weeks of the season. That has been critical as the offense has been challenged.

There needs to be better work from the offensive line because otherwise quarterback Cam Newton is going to be vulnerable. Plus, the rushing attack hasn't fully been cut loose as the backs are finding it difficult to accelerate before being hit.

But linebacker Luke Kuechly said he has seen the team excel in different stages of a season, so there's no reason for alarm.

"That's what makes this game so fun is there are three phases and when one phase isn't playing up to what they want to do, the other phases step up," Kuechly said. "Those guys (on offense) will be fine and I'm sure at some point this season they're going to pick us up, too."

SERIES HISTORY: 45th regular-season meeting. Panthers lead series against the New Orleans Saints, 24-20. Panthers have won four of the last five meetings vs. Saints. They've also won four of the last five matchups at home against their NFC South rivals.

--Defensive end Julius Peppers had two sacks in the home opener, which was the first for him in a Panthers uniform since the 2009 season.

While the 37-year-old Peppers is in the twilight of his career, he's not backing down.

"I was the beneficiary," he said of the team's collective strong defensive outings through two games. "Got after the quarterback a little bit and it was nice."

The Panthers are thrilled to have the franchise's all-time sacks leader back in the fold. With 2.5 sacks this season, he has moved to 146 for his career, holding the fifth spot in all-time sacks in NFL history.

"The one thing is I think he has kind of found a niche here with us," head coach Ron Rivera said.

That's because with several veteran players along the defensive front, it's important to keep them energized.

"We rotate our guys to try to keep these guys as fresh as we can," Rivera said.

--The Panthers have allowed at least 20 points to the New Orleans Saints in 11 of the past 13 meetings. So that would appear to put in jeopardy Carolina's stretch of not allowing a touchdown in the first two games of the season.

"I just think guys take a lot of pride in doing their job and making sure they're where they're supposed to be on any given play," linebacker Luke Kuechly said.

This is the first time in franchise history that the Panthers have played two games without surrendering a touchdown.

Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said the Panthers have benefited from good defensive plans in the first two games. From there, it's a matter of following through on assignments.

"We just executed and flowed around," Munnerlyn said. "We played fast and just made plays."

NOTES: RB Jonathan Stewart picked up 40 rushing yards in the home opener against Buffalo. That leaves him 104 yards away from the career franchise record for rushing yards held by DeAngelo Williams at 6,846. ... DT Vernon Butler played for the first time in the Buffalo game, logging a tackle. He had been out with an ankle injury suffered in the first preseason game in August. ... WR Curtis Samuel will be looking to break out after a rather quiet start to the career for the rookie out of Ohio State. In his second game, he made his first career reception (finishing with two catches against Buffalo). ... T Daryl Williams was flagged for holding twice in the second quarter against Buffalo. Those infractions accounted for half of the team's 40 yards in penalties for the game. ... FB Alex Armah was added to the active roster in a move corresponding to TE Greg Olsen going on injured reserve. Armah had been on the practice squad.