HEALTH WATCH

 

• WR Brenton Bersin was hurting after taking a shot to the ribs on his fifth reception of the first half. “He’s got a bruise, is what I guess right now,” coach Ron Rivera said. “But he’ll go for X-rays or MRIs or whatever is needed.”

 

• WR Damiere Byrd was dinged up twice. He limped off the field after taking an awkward hit to his right leg during a first half punt return, and he had to have a couple fingers taped after muffing a punt late in the fourth quarter.

 

• TE Ed Dickson was held out after suffering an undisclosed injury in Tuesday's practice.

 

• S Dean Marlowe, who tweaked a hamstring Monday, was also held out.

 

• P Mike Scifres dressed but didn’t play. He felt soreness in his surgically repaired (non-kicking) knee earlier this week, but he is expected to punt against the Titans in preseason game No. 2.

 

• C Ryan Kalil and RB Jonathan Stewart were healthy scratches. Stewart, especially, wasn’t a surprise. He only played in preseason games No. 2 and 3 last year, totaling just nine carries.

 

PLAYER NOTES

 

• QB Cam Newton went 5-of-6 while leading the Panthers on a 14-play opening drive that ended with a 26-yard Graham Gano field goal. It was Newton's only series of the game.

 

• RB Brandon Wegher gained just 13 yards on 10 carries, but the backup offensive line gave him little room to run.

 

• WR Kelvin Benjamin caught one pass for five yards, but most importantly, his knee was A-OK during his first game in 52 weeks. “It felt great,” Benjamin said. “I didn’t want to come off the field actually.”

 

• WR Devin Funchess scored the Panthers’ lone touchdown, a 10-yard catch of a perfect ball thrown by QB Derek Anderson. “It was a simple fade route and I was reading how the defender was going to play me,” Funchess said. “Me and D.A. were on the same page and he threw it back shoulder.”

 

• WR Philly Brown watched Benjamin, Funchess, Ted Ginn Jr. and Bersin play the entire first series. Brown’s only target was a 33-yard gain negated by an offensive pass interference call on WR Kevin Norwood.

 

• DT Vernon Butler had two tackles in his first game as a pro. “The one thing he does is put himself in good position,” Rivera said. “Now he’s just got to finish the plays off. He’ll learn that as he gets better and better.”

 

• DT Eric Crume wasn’t credited for it by the official scorer, but Crume picked up the Panthers’ only sack, which was also a fumble.

 

• LB David Mayo had a game-high eight tackles.

 

• P Swayze Waters didn’t pull way ahead of Scifres, but Waters did land two of his three punts inside the 20.

 

NOTABLE NUGGETS

 

• More on James Bradberry and the other “Amigos” later, but here’s another reminder that this 24 isn’t like the last: “I felt like I played average. I didn’t make any bad plays, but I didn’t make any good plays. I left some plays out there that should’ve been made so it was an average performance.”

 

• At least Spartanburg prepared the Panthers for a warm night in Baltimore. The heat index at kickoff was 102.

 

• The Panthers in preseason openers during the Rivera/Newton era: W, L, W, L, W, L

 

• It was neat seeing not just fans, but both teams looking up at the scoreboard to watch a replay of Baltimore native Michael Phelps winning yet another gold medal. “You won’t see too many athletes who would stop playing their game to watch another athlete compete,” Newton said.