Teams fancy passers in Panthers-Bengals cat fight

Right on target through two games in 2018, the Cincinnati Bengals are starting to sense their offseason moves also hit the mark.

Right on target through two games in 2018, the Cincinnati Bengals are starting to sense their offseason moves also hit the mark.

Yet it's small sample size, so the Bengals will want to provide more proof that they're heading in the right direction when visiting the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium.

"This is a new season," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "We didn't get off to a very good start last year, and obviously we were at a low point at this time a year

ago. Unfortunately, we had to make some changes that were hard to make, and we have moved forward from there. I think the changes we made in the

offseason (this year) have continued (to move us in a positive direction)."

The Panthers (1-1) had a bit of a misstep with last week and they'll be anxious to correct the problems, particularly from a defensive standpoint.

That might not be easy if Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton keeps his current rate. In two games this season, the eighth-year quarterback has thrown for six touchdowns with only one interception.

Carolina coach Ron Rivera cited alignment issues and effort concerns in addressing some of the malfunctions for the defense in the Atlanta game.

He has sounded irritated with the whole situation.

"I will not stand for that," Rivera said. "I will get that corrected."

That was pretty much backed up by Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who was miffed by the defense's struggles.

"Everyone has to be in the right spot at the right time," Kuechly said.

Kuechly will be playing against his hometown team, which has shown the ability to put up impressive offensive numbers. Dalton showed a good rhythm with receiver A.J. Green, who caught three TD passes in the first half of last week's win over Baltimore.

"It's hard to take me away in the slot when I have so much freedom because I have much had so much freedom to run all over the place," Green said.

The Bengals will be without running back Joe Mixon, who underwent a minor knee operation since the team's most recent game. That could lead to Giovani Bernard taking the main running back role for the Bengals.

Among the newcomers who've made immediate contributions for Cincinnati is rookie safety, Jessie Bates. He played collegiately at Wake Forest, so this is a mini-homecoming for him.

"From the onset of this offseason, we knew what the things were that we needed to do to get better, and I thought we did a fine job with them," Lewis said.

"We are only two games into the season, and we still have to prove it over the next 14 as well, but the things we set out to do, we have accomplished."

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton recorded a career-high 32 completions in the Atlanta game, but the Panthers are aiming for more balance on the offense.

The Panthers have won their past six home games, including the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

This marks the sixth meeting between Cincinnati and Carolina, with the series knotted at 2-2-1. The only tie in Carolina franchise history came in 2014, which was the most recent matchup between the teams.