Peppers, Panthers' defense stymies Bills 9-3

Julius Peppers has played 17 seasons in the NFL for pretty good defensive teams.

But he said none compares to this year's Carolina Panthers.

"This is the best one I have ever played on," Peppers said emphatically Sunday.

Carolina's defense allowed only three points for the second straight week, and Graham Gano converted three field goals as the Panthers held on to defeat the Buffalo Bills 9-3 to remain unbeaten.

The Panthers (2-0) held Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy in check all day, limiting the Bills (1-1) to 176 yards and 10 first downs. McCoy had 9 yards on 12 carries and Taylor had 125 yards passing. The Panthers had three sacks, two by Peppers in his first home game since re-signing with them.

"I have all of the confidence and trust and belief in these guys," said Peppers, who has 146 career sacks. "We all play for one another. I feel like the sky is the limit."

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Peppers was simply awesome and is turning out to be a great fit in Carolina with three sacks in two games.

"He has found a niche with the way we rotate these guys to keep them fresh," Rivera said.

With Carolina's offense struggling to move the ball and tight end Greg Olsen out with a broken right foot, the Panthers didn't put the game away until 9 seconds remained when Taylor's fourth-and-11 pass sailed off diving rookie Zay Jones' fingertips.

"It was a great call by our coaching staff and a good throw by Tyrod," Jones said. "I just didn't make the play to help my team win this game."

The Panthers beat San Francisco 23-3 in Week 1.

"We'll take three points a week - that's a good showing for us," Peppers said.

Cam Newton was 20 of 32 for 228 yards but was sacked six times by Sean McDermott's defense and overthrew an open Christian McCaffrey at the goal line with less than three minutes remaining that could have sealed the victory. McDermott was Panthers defensive coordinator for the previous six seasons before taking over as head coach of the Bills earlier this year.

"We knew the skill set of Cam Newton coming in," McDermott said. "Our staff did a phenomenal job (with a game plan), and I just helped. We pressured him and confused him a little."

Newton, who twisted his ankle in the third quarter but stayed in the game, said he can't afford to "miss layups."

It was the second straight week he overthrew an open receiver in the end zone.

"I'm disappointed in myself but happy for the overall team just to see how we battled to win a football game," Newton said. "It wasn't pretty at all. But anytime you can get a win in this league, you take it and run with it. But I know I have to be better."

Said coach Ron Rivera: "It is tough to win in this league when all you do is kick field goals. But you have to give the Bills credit because they played hard."

REPLACING OLSEN: The Panthers' offense now will have to find a way to fill in for Olsen, who is coming off three straight 1,000-yard seasons. Olsen injured his foot in the first half. He will see Dr. Robert Anderson on Monday, but said he expects to be out a while.

McCOY A NON-FACTOR: McCoy has reached the 3,000 yards receiving mark for his career. He is the fourth active running back to achieve the feat, joining Darren Sproles, Matt Forte and Frank Gore.

McCoy had 34 yards receiving on six catches but couldn't break loose for any big gains.

"I'll give them credit, their team, their defense," McCoy said. "We just didn't get it done. I didn't get it done."

GETTING HIS KICKS: Gano was locked in a kicking battle in the preseason, but is 6 for 6 on field goal attempts so far this season.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Gano said. "Just trying to chop away."

TAYLOR MOVES UP: With his 9-yard completion on the opening drive, Taylor moved into seventh place on the team's all-time passing yards list, passing Dennis Shaw (6,286). Taylor now has 6,291 passing yards.

INJURIES

Bills OT Cordy Glenn injured his ankle and did not return. Bills DT Marcell Dareus left the game briefly with an ankle injury but did return.

Olsen left in the second quarter. Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin left after taking a brutal hit to his left shoulder in the end zone from Bills FS Jordan Poyer, but did return. Two-time All-Pro center Ryan Kalil developed a kink in his neck before the game and didn't play. He was replaced by Tyler Larsen.

UP NEXT

Bills: Host Denver next Sunday.

Panthers: Host New Orleans next Sunday.

Newton throws 2 TDs to lead Panthers past 49ers 23-3

 Cam Newton threw a pair of touchdown passes following San Francisco turnovers and the Carolina defense shut down Kyle Shanahan's offense in his coaching debut as the Panthers beat the 49ers 23-3 Sunday.

Newton threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Russell Shepardin the first half following a fumble by Brian Hoyer, then a 9-yard touchdown to Jonathan Stewart in the third quarter after Luke Kuechly intercepted Hoyer.

That helped the Panthers get off to a good start in the season opener following last year's disappointing 6-10 finish . Despite the touchdowns, Newton did not look particularly sharp after playing just one series in the preseason as he recovered from surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff.

Newton was off-target on numerous throws, including missing a wide-open Ed Dickson in the end zone in the first half. Carolina had to settle for a field goal on that drive. Newton finished 14 for 25 for 171 yards.

Those mistakes didn't matter against a Niners team that didn't look much improved from last year's outfit that tied a franchise worst with 14 losses. That led to the firing of coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke.

Shanahan and new GM John Lynch each got six-year contracts to oversee a massive rebuilding job . There is plenty of work to do as San Francisco was held scoreless in the first half of the opener for the first time in 40 years and lost the first game of the year for the first time since 2010. The Niners finished with just 217 yards of offense.

Hoyer had a rough debut for San Francisco, throwing for only 193 yards and committing the two turnovers.

MCCAFFREY'S DAY

Carolina first-round pick Christian McCaffrey had an up-and-down debut. The former Stanford star gained 45 yards on 13 carries and added five catches for 38 yards. He also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter.

FOURTH-DOWN FOLLIES

Shanahan went twice on fourth down in the first half and failed. Hoyer was sacked by Thomas Davis on fourth-and-4 from the Carolina 44, and Kyle Juszczyk was stuffed by Star Lotulelei on a fourth-and-1 from the 45. The Panthers turned those short fields into a pair of field goals. San Francisco converted one of two fourth-down attempts in the second half.

UNDER PRESSURE

The Panthers put heavy pressure on Hoyer and had four sacks, including one by Wes Horton that forced a fumble by Hoyer. Carolina finished second in the NFL last season with 47 sacks.

ROLLER COASTER

San Francisco safety Jaquiski Tartt had a wild first half that included a missed tackle on Shepard's touchdown, a personal foul for unnecessary roughness, then an acrobatic interception near the goal line on a deep pass to Kelvin Benjamin.

INJURIES

Niners rookie linebacker Reuben Foster had an impressive debut cut short when he injured his right ankle late in the first quarter. Foster got hurt on a run by McCaffrey and was taken to the locker room on a cart. He returned to the field a few minutes later, but didn't get back in the game. Foster had three tackles and a pass breakup before the injury. Shepard caught his TD on the play after Foster left.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Host Buffalo next Sunday.

49ers: Visit Seattle next Sunday.

Brees leads Saints past slumping Panthers, 41-38

After Drew Brees broke another NFL record with his latest 400-plus-yard passing performance, he stood on a podium and moved his right hand in an ascending motion while discussing the direction of the New Orleans Saints.

"We want to be on this trajectory," Brees said as he moved his hand up and away from his body. "I feel like we are."

Brees passed for 465 yards and four touchdowns, Wil Lutzkicked a 52-yard field goal with 11 seconds left, and New Orleans pulled out a 41-38 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

With his 15th 400-yard game, Brees broke a tie with Peyton Manning for the most all time in the regular season.

Brees also led the Saints (2-3) to a second straight victory while Carolina (1-5) lost its fourth straight despite the return of quarterback Cam Newton, who missed last week's loss to Tampa Bay because of a concussion.

Newton passed for 322 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a 2-yard score and threw a 2-point conversion to Devin Funchess that tied the game at 38 with 2:58 left, completing a comeback from an early 21-0 deficit.

However, Newton was also intercepted by Sterling Moore in the back of the end zone, stalling a promising first-half drive.

Newton had little to say afterward, offering terse, vague answers to media inquiries or simply saying, "next question." His demeanor nonetheless left little doubt how displeased he was with yet another close loss.

Meanwhile, the quarterback's coaches and teammates made it clear Newton's performance was the least of their concerns.

"He made some really good decisions," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "When you score 38 points, you need to give yourself more of a chance to win."

Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly credited Carolina's offense for playing well and added, "We just have to tighten some things up defensively. We just have to make a play."

Tight end Josh Hill scored the Saints' final TD on a difficult, leaping 8-yard catch that was initially ruled incomplete.

But coach Sean Payton challenged the call and officials ruled on review that Hill had possession long enough for a completion before defensive back Zack Sanchez knocked the ball from Hill's grasp.

Brees didn't seem bothered that the Saints needed all of his prolific production to win and nearly squandered a three- TD lead.

"These are defining wins. These are wins you can draw from as the season goes along and really get a lot of strength from," Brees said. "It gives you great confidence and poise when situations arise in the future."

UNCONVENTIONAL TDS

Coby Fleener ran for a 2-yard touchdown on his first career carry - an end-around on a fourth-and-1 play that capped New Orleans' opening drive. He also caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter on a play that Brees said didn't quite develop as drawn up because Fleener and receiver Willie Snead ran their routes too close together, causing a convergence of players over the middle.

"All of a sudden all these bodies were in this melee and here's Coby, coming down with it and taking it the distance," Brees said. "It worked out nicely."

CLUTCH KICKING

Lutz's winning kick came after he'd missed an earlier attempt from 53 yards. Lutz said that the moment Carolina tied it at 38, he told punter Thomas Morstead, who also holds on field goals, and long snapper Justin Drescher, "Let's go win the game."

"Like I've been saying all year - it's about the next kick," Lutz said.

TOP TARGETS

Saints receiver Brandin Cooks had an 87-yard touchdown catch to highlight his career-high 173-yard outing on seven catches. Saints rookie Michael Thomas caught his third touchdown pass in as many games. Fleener had six catches for 74 yards.

Funchess caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Newton and Carolina tight end Ed Dickson hauled in a 1-yard TD that Newton tossed as he scrambled to his left.

PENALTY PRONE

The Saints were flagged for pass interference three times at or near the goal line, and the Panthers cashed in all three times with touchdowns. In all, New Orleans had 10 penalties for 126 yards.

Panthers penalties included Kawann Short's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for leveling Brees after his touchdown toss to Hill.

"It looked like he straight punched me in the mouth," Brees said. "That's what it felt like."

BACK IN ACTION

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart returned after missing three games with a hamstring injury and rushed for 85 yards on 19 carries, including two short touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Hill played for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 1.

INJURIES

Saints left tackle Andrus Peat, who was filling in for injured starter Terron Armstead, left the game late in the first half with an apparent left leg injury. He was replaced by veteran Tony Hills. ... Saints rookie defensive tackle David Onyemata also appeared to have a leg injury after a pileup near the New Orleans goal line in the fourth quarter and gingerly walked off the field. ... Panthers cornerback Daryl Worley was evaluated for a possible concussion.

NEXT UP

Panthers: Carolina has a bye week to try to figure out how to reverse its sinking fortunes.

Saints: New Orleans travels to Kansas City next Sunday.

Bucs beat Panthers 17-14 on last-second field goal by Aguayo

Roberto Aguayo's shaky rookie season got a big lift Monday night.

The rookie made up for missing two earlier field goals by converting a 38-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Carolina Panthers 17-14 on Monday night.

Aguayo, the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, had clanked a 33-yard field goal attempt off the right upright and missed wide left from 46 yards that would have given the Bucs the lead with 3:38 left in the game. He was just 3 of 7 on the season before the winning kick.

"Obviously you get a little angry when you miss them," Agauyo said. "You can't dwell on it or you won be ready for the next one."

When asked how comfortable he was with the field position on the final kick, Bucs coach Dirk Koetter replied, "I wasn't comfortable. We couldn't get close enough."

Jameis Winston was 18 of 30 for 219 yards and threw a TD pass to Mike Evans. He also led a 66-yard drive to get the Buccaneers (2-3) into field goal range. A costly 15-yard facemask penalty on Kony Ealy hurt the Panthers along the way.

Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 101 yards on 30 carries in place of the injured Doug Martin.

The Panthers turned the ball over four times, three of those by Derek Anderson, who was filling in for the concussed Cam Newton.

"We moved the ball when we wanted to and had a lot of good things happen, but we had bad plays at the wrong times," Anderson said.

The most costly turnover came late in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 14 and the Panthers having a first-and-goal at the Tampa Bay 2. Anderson inexplicably threw into double coverage in the right corner of the end zone and was intercepted by Brent Grimes.

"If I had it back I would have thrown it away," Anderson said. "That was a difference maker."

The Panthers ruined a memorable night from Greg Olsen, who had a career-high 181 yards receiving on nine catches. Cameron Artis-Payne ran for two touchdowns for the Panthers.

Carolina is now 1-4 after reaching the Super Bowl last season.

"We've got a laundry list of things that didn't go our way," Olsen said. "The reality is, in this league, you make your own luck. You make your own fate. You can't sit around and hope the ball bounced your way. Right now, it's not, but that's just the nature of this league. It goes in flows. There's times where it seems like everything you do is right, the ball bounces your way, but that's not the case right now for us. We've got to make our own luck, because nobody's feeling sorry for us. That's just the reality right now."

TURNOVER PRONE: The Panthers turned the ball over just 19 times last season en route to the Super Bowl. This year they already have 14 turnovers in the first five games.

RIVERBOAT RON: With his team trailing 6-0, Panthers coach Ron Rivera lived up to his "Riverboat Ron" moniker when he went for it on fourth-and-goal from the Bucs 1-yard line. Artis-Payne dove into the end zone to give Carolina its first lead of the game.

BUCS UP FRONT: The Bucs were without starters - Gerald McCoy (calf) and Clinton McDonald (hamstring) and defensive end Robert Ayers (ankle) - out with injuries.

NO LEAGUE MVP: Newton was not on the sideline after sustaining a concussion last week against the Falcons. The Panthers visit the Saints next week before getting a bye. It's unclear if the reigning league MVP will be ready to go.

OLSEN MOVES UP: Olsen moved past Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow for eight all-time in yards receiving among NFL tight ends.

BY THE NUMBERS: The Bucs ran 20 plays to Carolina's three in the first quarter. Anderson didn't attempt a pass in the opening quarter as the Bucs controlled the ball for more than 13 minutes.

Ryan, Jones set records as Falcons beat Panthers 48-33

 Matt Ryan and Julio Jones brought down some team records - and the defending NFC champions.

Ryan shredded Carolina's defense, passing for a team-record 503 yards and four touchdowns, Jones had 12 receptions for a Falcons-record 300 yards, and Atlanta overwhelmed the struggling Panthers 48-33 on Sunday.

A week after being held to one catch in a win at New Orleans, Jones had a 75-yard scoring catch late in the game as Atlanta (3-1) solidified its early hold on the NFC South lead. Jones' 12 catches came on 15 targets.

"We got Julio the ball in space and when he has the ball in space he's so explosive," Ryan said.

The totals by Ryan and Jones are the most ever allowed by Carolina (1-3), and the first time teammates had 500 yards passing and 300 yards receiving, according to information provided to the Falcons by Elias.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton left the game in the fourth quarter. The team said Newton suffered a concussion after taking a hit from Deion Jones on a successful 2-point run. There appeared to be helmet-to-helmet contact but there was no penalty on the hit.

Newton appeared to be trying to take a casual jog into the end zone when he was knocked to the ground by Jones. Newton still reached the ball across the goal line.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera had no update on Newton following the game. Newton's replacement, Derek Anderson, said he saw Newton after the game.

"He was all right," Anderson said.

The Panthers scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including scoring passes from Anderson to Greg Olsenand Corey Brown.

Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, completed 14 of 25 passes for 165 yards with one touchdown before leaving the game.

"It's unfortunate," said Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly. "I don't what the severity of it is. ... He's a fighter. He's one of the toughest guys I know. He'll get out there as soon as he can."

Robert Alford's 30-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:14 remaining clinched the win. Alford picked off another pass from Anderson to end Carolina's final possession.

The Falcons began the day leading the NFL in scoring and total offense. They were rarely stopped by Carolina, even when pinned back close to their own goal line. They scored touchdowns after beginning drives on their 2- and 1-yard lines.

Carolina has lost two straight and needs a quick recovery to avoid falling too far behind in the division.

"Our guys are going to rebound from this," Kuechly said. "I know they will. They're a resilient bunch. We take a lot of pride in what we do. We'll come out better next week."

Newton was sacked only once after being sacked eight times in last week's loss to Minnesota.

MORE ON JULIO: Jones is only the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to have at least 300 yards receiving in a game. He is the first since Detroit's Calvin Johnson had 329 yards against Dallas on Oct. 8, 2013.

MISMATCH: Panthers rookie cornerback James Bradberry was overwhelmed from the opening minute in his matchup with Jones. Ryan completed passes to Jones on Atlanta's first three plays for 22, 14 and 15 yards, showing the Falcons' plan to take advantage of a secondary still struggling to replace Josh Norman, now with Washington.

"They put the young corner on me man to man ... and Matt made some great decisions today," Jones said.

INJURIES: Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis left the game with a hamstring injury early in the second half. Wide receiver Devin Funchess left the game in the fourth quarter with a toe injury. Bradberry returned after he was taken to the locker room in the first quarter with a left toe injury.

Falcons linebackers Jones and Sean Weatherspoon sustained calf injuries.

FANTASY WATCH

There was little production to be found in Carolina's running game , as Jonathan Stewart (hamstring) did not play. Cameron Artis-Payne ran for 12 yards on five carries. Fozzy Whittaker had three carries for only six yards but led the Panthers with nine catches for 86 yards.

Atlanta's Devonta Freeman ran for 57 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries as he took the lead in the tandem with Tevin Coleman, who ran for 19 yards on eight carries.

UP NEXT

Carolina: The Panthers will face another division opponent when they return home to face Tampa Bay next Monday night.

Atlanta: The Falcons open a stretch of three straight games against AFC teams when they visit Denver next week.

Vikings stop Newton, snap Panthers' home win streak 22-10

The Minnesota Vikings keep finding ways to overcome injuries -and keep finding ways to win football games.

Sam Bradford threw a touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph, Marcus Sherelsreturned a punt for a score and the Vikings snapped the Carolina Panthers' 14-game home winning streak 22-10 on Sunday.

The Vikings put the clamps on Cam Newton, intercepting the league's reigning MVP three times and getting eight sacks, one of those resulting in a safety by Danielle Hunter. The eight sacks were the second-most ever against Newton.

"We have a great team - the best team I have been a part of," said Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who had three sacks. "We come from every area on the field and we get sacks."

Said Newton: "They were dictating to us after they got the momentum."

The Vikings improved 3-0 despite losing running back Adrian Peterson and offensive tackle Matt Kalil to injuries last week. They lost starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the preseason.

The Panthers were averaging 42 points per game in their last three home games, but could do little after bolting to a 10-0 lead. The Vikings held Carolina wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess without a catch.

"For him not to have any touches is baffling," Newton said of Benjamin. "We have to find ways" to get him the ball.

Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said the Vikings focus was on shutting down Benjamin.

"We just knew where Benjamin was the whole time," Munnerlyn said. "Funchess, we weren't worried about him. It wasKelvin Benjamin. Me personally, I think No. 17 (Funchess) is not that good, so we weren't really worried about him."

Benjamin said the Vikings' pressure on Newton helped take him out of the game.

Bradford improved to 2-0 as the Vikings starter, completing 18 of 28 passes for 171 yards. With Peterson injured, Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon combined for 70 yards rushing on 22 carries. Rudolph had seven catches for 70 yards, including a 15-yard TD catch to put the Vikings ahead for good in the early in the third quarter.

HOME LOSS: It was Carolina's first home loss since Nov. 16, 2014.

"If you want to be a playoff team you have to win at home," Panthers offensive tackle Michael Oher said.

Carolina only led 10-8 at halftime despite outgaining the Vikings 205-34 in the first half and limiting Minnesota to two first downs.

PROTESTS OUTSIDE: Outside the stadium about 100 people gathered before the game to stage a peaceful protest over the police shooting of a 43-year-old black man last week.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said the events didn't affect the team's play.

"When we are here, we practice, we do the things we are supposed to do. We got out and we answered the questions," Rivera said. "What happened here was very tragic, and what we were hoping to do was be able to come out and put that aside. We just didn't play very well. I am not looking for excuses."

BY THE NUMBERS:

Vikings: Asiata got the start at running back but McKinnon was more productive back with 45 yards on 16 carries.

Panthers: Cameron Artis-Payne started over Fozzy Whittaker with Jonathan Stewart (hamstring) out of the lineup and ran for 47 yards on 12 carries. Whittaker only got five carries and had 22 yards rushing after running for 100 yards last week against San Francisco.

SAFETY FIRST: Hunter beat Michael Oher to sack Newton in the end zone in the first quarter for Minnesota's first safety since Jared Allen had one on Dec. 4, 2011. Hunter has 6 1/2 sacks in his last seven games.

SHERELS RETURN: Sherels accounted for the Vikings only touchdown of the first half, taking an Andy Lee punt near midfield and cutting across the grain for a 54-yard touchdown return.

BENJAMIN'S BLUNDERS: Benjamin was called for two penalties in the first half, including a block in the back that nullified a 56-yard TD reception by Whittaker.

INJURIES: Panthers first-round draft pick Vernon Butler left the game with a right ankle sprain in the third quarter and did not return.

Newton sets TD passing mark, Panthers down 49ers 46-27

Maybe all the Carolina Panthers needed was to play someone other than the Denver Broncos.

The league's top-scoring offense from a year ago returned to form Sunday. Cam Newton threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns, and the Panthers overcame four turnovers to beat the San Francisco 49ers 46-27 in their home opener. The Panthers racked up 529 yards on offense.

Carolina lost to Denver in the Super Bowl and again in a rematch in Week 1, combining to score 30 points in those games. The Panthers averaged 31.3 points per game last season.

Newton threw two TD passes to Kelvin Benjamin and one each to Greg Olsen and Devin Funchess to pass Jake Delhomme for most TD passes in franchise history with 122.

Newton showed no ill effects from the four helmet-to-helmet hits he took in Carolina's season-opening loss to Denver. He took one shot to the head from linebacker Eli Harold late in the game after a pitchout on an option play, but quickly got to his feet.

"It's one of things those things where the momentum sways the play calling," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "This game we were able to run the ball and it opened some things up. Last week (against Denver) we needed Cam to open some things up. Cam will play his role for us. This was an example of being able to keep him out of the running game for the most part."

Newton's first pass was tipped and intercepted by Antoine Bethea, leading to a 49ers field goal. But the 2015 league MVP locked in after that, completing 24 of 40 passes while running for 37 yards on six carries.

Olsen gave the Panthers (1-1) the lead for good in the second quarter when he hauled in a career-long 78-yard touchdown pass from Newton after the 49ers bit hard on play-action. That left the Pro Bowl tight end wide open on a seam route. Olsen finished with five catches for 122 yards.

Benjamin, who missed last season with a torn ACL, finished with seven catches for 108 yards and has three TD catches on the season.

"Most of the DBs that were on me were small and I was able to jump and get the ball," Benjamin said.

Bethea said the 49ers (1-1) didn't play up to par after their 28-0 performance against the Rams last week.

"We didn't do a great job of getting off the field on third down," Bethea said. "And we're going up against a very good offense. We can tackle better, too, but everything is correctable."

WHAT WAS THAT?: The Panthers won despite the four turnovers, including one colossal mistake by returner Ted Ginn Jr., who failed to pick up the ball on a kickoff return. After Ginn bobbled the ball twice, the 49ers recovered at the 1-yard line and scored on the next play.

FOZZY BEAR ON THE RUN: Despite losing running back Jonathan Stewart (hamstring) in the first quarter, the Panthers had no problems moving the ball against a defense that was riding high following a 28-0 win over the Rams in the season opener.

Fozzy Whittaker ran for 100 yards on 16 carries and had three catches for 31 yards.

Rivera said he has "concerns" about Stewart moving forward, but that second-year back Cameron Artis-Payne is ready for action. Artis-Payne has been inactive the last two games.

GABBERT'S DAY: Blaine Gabbert threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in the loss. Gabbert pulled the 49ers within 34-27 late with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Vance McDonald, but threw two interceptions in the game's final five minutes.

FIRST TOUCHDOWN: Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson scored his first career touchdown when he scooped upCarlos Hyde's fumble and returned it 9 yards to give Carolina a 7-3 lead.

INJURY UPDATE

49ers: Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong left in the second half with a shoulder injury.

Panthers: Stewart was limited to 9 yards rushing on five carries when he went down in the first quarter.

BY THE NUMBERS

Newton reached 121 career TD passes in 2,480 attempts, while Delhomme had 120 in 2,669 attempts.

Broncos win Super Bowl rematch over Panthers 21-20

Cam Newton will get a few extra days to recover from his latest beating by Von Miller and crew. At least he won't have to seethe for seven months.

Denver's dominant defense came up big against Newton again and the Broncos escaped with a 21-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers Thursday night when Graham Gano missed a 50-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining.

The Broncos collected three sacks and hit Newton eight more times, not counting the abuse he took on his 11 runs.

"We wanted to make sure we got to him," safety T.J. Ward said. "Every time he ran we tried to put helmet and shoulder pads on him. If you're not going to slide we're going to put something on you. We saw him limping throughout the game so that running stuff, you can't do that all game."

Three of the hits were of the helmet-to-helmet variety but none resulted in any penalty yardage.

Miller hit him high when DeMarcus Ware was taking him down, linebacker Brandon Marshall hit him in the face just as he released a pass and safety Darian Stewart leveled him in the final minute, but because Newton was whistled for intentional grounding on the play, the penalties were offsetting.

"It's not my job to question the officials," Newton said after finally emerging from the trainer's room. "I really like this officiating crew, so it wasn't something I know they did intentionally. But it's not fun getting hit in the head."

A wobbled Newton appeared to have done just enough to get a measure of revenge for that bludgeoning in Super Bowl 50, when Miller stripped the ball and the Lombardi Trophy from his grasp.

Newton put the Panthers on the cusp of victory with a 16-yard pass to Kelvin Benjamin at the Denver 37 in the closing seconds, and another short pass to Ted Ginn Jr. put Gano well within his range.

Gano, whose practice kick hugged the right upright after Denver had called timeout, missed wide left moments later.

"I was going to drill it, no doubt in my mind," Gano said. "But this happens. It's not going to define my season."

Newton, the NFL's reigning MVP, was 18 of 33 for 194 yards, with one TD and one interception.

Just as he did over and over in the Super Bowl, Miller made a big play late, sweeping past right tackle Mike Remmersand sacking Newton at the 2-minute warning. A penalty on fourth-and-21, however, kept the Carolina drive alive until Newton retreated to the sideline when Gano came in for the potential game-winner.

His miss only piled on the pain for Newton, who stayed on one knee in disbelief as the stadium rocked and Trevor Siemian trotted out for one victory formation snap and a win in his first NFL start.

"We've got a heck of a team, a resilient team, I think you saw that tonight," said Peyton Manning's successor, who finished 18 of 26 for 178 yards with one TD, two interceptions and two sacks.

The Panthers took a 17-7 led into the fourth quarter of the first Super Bowl rematch to start a season since 1970, but Siemian hit running back C.J. Anderson for a 25-yard touchdown on the next snap.

Newton's next pass was intercepted by Harris at the Carolina 23. Ten plays later, Anderson bulled his way in from the 1 to give Denver its first lead at 21-17 with 9:26 remaining.

After Gano's 36-yard field goal brought the Panthers to 21-20, Carolina forced a three-and-out and got the ball back at its 40 with 3:06 remaining.

TAKE A KNEE: Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, a college teammate of Colin Kaepernick, kneeled during the playing of the national anthem. Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem during San Francisco's preseason games, explaining it was to protest racial oppression and police brutality in the United States. "I'm not against the military, I'm not against America," Marshall said. "I'm against social injustice."

OLD TIMES: Manning made his first appearance at Mile High as a retiree, walking through the tunnel with the Lombardi Trophy. Manning said he spoke with Siemian on the eve of the game and told him he was in his corner.

POACHING PANTHERS: Carolina led the league with 39 takeaways last season and had three in the opener, including two on Denver's first two drives. Shaq Thompson recovered rookie Devontae Booker's fumble at the Carolina 29 andBene Benwikere intercepted Siemian's pass at the Panthers' 10.

FIELD FLIP: Punter Andy Lee, who surrendered a Super Bowl-record 61-yard punt return to Jordan Norwood in February, pinned the Broncos back with a franchise-record 76-yard punt in the third quarter. His next punt traveled 61 yards.

FULLBACK FUN: Rookie Andy Janovich was brought in to bore holes for Anderson, but he surprised the Panthers with a 28-yard TD run after Denver's first two drives ended in turnovers.