At various times this season, Panthers coach Ron Rivera has seen first-year players struggling with the so-called rookie wall.
He's seen it particularly in rookie defensive tackles Sione Fua and Terrell McClain.
One player who hasn't hit the wall is quarterback Cam Newton, who needs 647 passing yards over the final five games to break Peyton Manning's rookie passing yardage record of 3,739. Newton's 3,093 yards are currently fourth-best for a rookie quarterback, behind Manning, Sam Bradford (3,512) and Matt Ryan (3,440).
"When you're the starting quarterback you can't have a wall," offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski said. "For those younger guys, that's the biggest adjustment coming into this league and the season goes a long time. You play four (exhibition) games and you haven't gotten to the season, yet.
"He's done a great job (maintaining his momentum). Each week is a new week and he's done a good job of (starting) all over again. That's the challenge, to do that for 16 games."
Rivera said Fua had "probably his best game" against Indianapolis while McClain struggled.
"(McClain has) kind of hit a little wall the last couple games, and we're starting to see Sione play a little better," Rivera said. "He was effective. He had two good pressures this game."
Getting defensive: Defensive backs Sharrod Martin and Chris Gamble came up with the key fourth-quarter interceptions Sunday against Indianapolis, but they weren't the only players getting special praise from defensive coordinator Sean McDermott.
He pointed to linebacker Jordan Senn, forced into a starting spot because of the absence of Omar Gaither. Senn had 10 tackles to share team-high honors with James Anderson, and linebacker Dan Connor also had a strong game after being out for a game with a neck injury.
"Dan Connor really played his tail off, especially coming off the injury that he had," McDermott said.
The numbers game: For all the consternation and conversation about the Panthers' struggles on defense this season, the unit is having a better season than the Tampa Bay defense.
The Panthers rank 26th in the NFL in total defense -28th against the pass and 15th against the rush.
The Bucs, Carolina's next opponent, rank 31st in total defense, ahead of only New England. Tampa Bay ranks 30th against the rush, allowing an average of 139.7 yards per game on the ground.
Feeling good: The Panthers came out of the Indianapolis game with no serious injury issues. Kick returner Kealoha Pilares had a mild quadriceps injury but Rivera said it shouldn't limit his availability.
Roster churn: When the Panthers decided last week to release fullback Jerome Felton and add receiver Darvin Adams to the 53-man roster, it was another signal the coaching staff wants to give young players the chance to contribute in the short term and, possibly, the long term.
Rivera said Richie Brockel's solid play at fullback also played a part in the decision to release Felton.
"Darvin can potentially become a four-phase special teams guy, where Felton was really just playing one and backing up on a couple others," Rivera said.
"If there's an opportunity to get a kid on the field who's going to give you four phases and take pressure off your teammates, you certainly want to do it. Plus, it's going back to giving guys who are practicing hard, doing the things you want them to do, opportunities. And Darvin's been one of those guys."
