The Carolina Panthers’ receiving corps on Sunday followed a similar path they took during the season-opening win in Jacksonville. After some early drops, they settled down against the Texans to make just enough plays.

Shortly after top wideout Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL in training camp, it became clear the Panthers were going to depend on a committee approach. No one on the roster is going to replace Benjamin’s output, but decent production is possible. Especially when the ball doesn’t fall to the ground.

“We have some young guys out there, some young guys that are starting to play an awful lot of football and they are going to make some mistakes and miss some,” coach Ron Rivera said after the Panthers improved to 2-0. “But the biggest thing more so than anything else is we went up to Ted Ginn again and said hey, we believe in you, you are going to get your chance, we know it’s coming.”

Ginn is 30 and in his ninth season, so the young guy excuse doesn’t work for him. But in his 18 games with the Panthers, he’s scored six receiving touchdowns. That’s as many as he had in 104 games with the Dolphins, 49ers and Cardinals.

“I think that it’s about confidence. The confidence that [quarterback Cam Newton] has in me and as long as I keep going out and showing it, he builds on it more and more every week,” Ginn said.

Philly Brown, who qualifies as a young guy, caught three of his four targets Sunday, a week after hauling in two of three. The 23 year old’s sure-handed 36-yard touchdown was the eventual game-winner. But as he’s done for weeks, he claimed his confidence has never faltered.

“It was just an issue of technique and letting the ball get into my body,” Brown said. “I’ve never lost confidence in the use of my hands. Cam obviously hasn’t lost much confidence in me.”

Brown and Ginn combined for seven receptions, 98 yards and both Panthers’ receiving touchdowns against the Texans.

Another pair of young wideouts, Devin Funchess and Kevin Norwood didn’t have as much success. Together, they saw just three targets. Funchess caught one for 15 yards while Norwood’s only chance deflected off his hands and resulted in a red-zone interception.

So for another week, the wideout committee followed its downs with some ups. The work in progress continues.

“Everybody sees the dropped balls and they are able to point to confidence. The truth of the matter is that we have to do our job,” Newton said.

“My confidence wasn’t shattered in giving opportunities to guys that are doing what they are supposed to do. I am supposed to throw them the football and they are supposed to catch it. You know, they are professional athletes and that is what we get paid to do.”