Put yourself in Ron Rivera's shoes for a second.

You're the head coach of the local NFL team, and as you're out and about, you're approached by excited fans. They're so passionate they invest in PSLs. But, they tell you, you're not their first love. Yeah, they hope you do well, but as natives of Pittsburgh, their first allegiance is the Steelers. Or, perhaps they've moved to Charlotte to avoid the brutal winters in New York. So, 'Go Panthers!' ... unless you're playing the Giants.

This week, Rivera's club faces the team formerly known as the adopted organization of the Carolinas. Before the Panthers, the Redskins were the people's choice in these parts.

21 years after they were born, the Panthers are building up their bandwagon. This season's 9-0 start, combined with playoff appearances the past two years, could be convincing some to jump ship.

"There are a lot of transplanted folks that come down here and they carry their allegiance," Rivera said Wednesday.

"Hopefully we've swayed them a little bit to cheer for us."

Despite the scores of visiting jerseys that invade Charlotte on game days, Bank of America Stadium currently houses the NFL's hottest home team. The Panthers' eight-game home win streak, which started last December against Tampa Bay, is the league's longest.

The Redskins, meanwhile, haven't won on the road in nearly 400 days. Their last win away from Washington was last year's Week 8 trip to Dallas. That's an unusually long skid for a team with such a large fan base, one that's sure to show up Sunday.

"I know we're going to have a lot of fans there, like we do every week," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said on a conference call. "Hopefully we can drown out some of the noise from Carolina because I know they're playing well."

 

The NFC's lone remaining unbeaten in 2015, the Panthers haven't lost to the Redskins since 2009. After Washington had won the first six games in the series, Carolina has rattled off four of five and three straight. That mini win streak includes a couple starts from quarterback Cam Newton, who's accounted for four touchdowns with an 114.1 passer rating against the Redskins.

A win against Washington in 2011 was one of just six for Newton at home during his first two seasons. Since then, he's won 15 of his last 20 starts in Charlotte.

"I've seen the fan base grow, especially since I've been here," Newton said. "Yeah, we play teams that travel extremely well, but for us to hear the 'Keep Pounding' chants and to hear the people come from near and far to cheer along the Carolina Panthers, it makes us feel great and makes us feel proud."

There's still a long way to go, of course. PSL owners will continue to sell tickets to opposing fans. This weekend, the streets around Bank of America Stadium will be lined with burgundy and gold. But as they get older, the Panthers are building something, both on and off the field.

"What's kind of neat is to have somebody come to me and show me a picture of their kid that they have along with them and say, 'See, when he was born, we had them in Panther gear.' And now the kid's 12, 14, 15 years old and he or she's a huge Panther fan," Rivera said. "You're starting to see a number of homegrown fans, which hopefully will outnumber the transplants.

"We are starting to develop a nice, rich tradition here which I hope we can continue to build and make something special out of it for this city, this community."