The Series: With the 20-7 victory, the Bengals defeated the Panthers for the second consecutive time and evened the all-time series at two wins each.
For Starters: Second-round draft choice Jimmy Clausen made his first NFL start to become the fifth rookie starting quarterback in Panthers history and the first since Matt Moore versus Seattle (12/16/07). Clausen had appeared in relief in the first two games this season.
Paws for Clausen: Quarterback Jimmy Clausen completed 16-of-33 passes for 188 yards and no touchdowns with one interception to produce a 53.6 quarterback rating. Additionally, he rushed for 10 yards on six scrambles, lost one fumble and was sacked once. In three games with one start this season, he has completed 23-of-48 passes for 247 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions. Here is how Clausen compares with other rookie signal callers in their first NFL start for Carolina.
| PLAYER | DATE | OPPONENT | W/L | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
| Kerry Collins | 10/1/95 | vs. Tampa Bay | L | 32 | 18 | 234 | 1 | 1 | 76.8 |
| Chris Weinke | 9/9/01 | at Minnesota | W | 22 | 13 | 223 | 1 | 1 | 89.8 |
| Randy Fasani | 10/27/02 | vs. Tampa Bay | L | 18 | 5 | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Matt Moore | 12/16/07 | vs. Seattle | W | 27 | 19 | 208 | 0 | 0 | 92.8 |
| Jimmy Clausen | 9/26/10 | vs. Cincinnati | L | 33 | 16 | 188 | 0 | 1 | 53.6 |
Team Leaders: Running back DeAngelo Williams posted a team-high 64 yards rushing on 10 carries and leads Carolina with 180 yards on 43 attempts this season. Running back Mike Goodson paced the Panthers with career highs of four receptions and 47 receiving yards.
Stewart Rushes Up Charts: Running back Jonathan Stewart scored on a one-yard run in the third quarter to move into second place in team history with 21 career rushing touchdowns. He broke a tie with Stephen Davis, who totaled 20 rushing touchdowns for Carolina from 2003-05. Stewart finished the game with 13 yards on eight carries and has gained 68 yards on 21 attempts with one touchdown this season.
In The Zone: Carolina posted a 50 percent efficiency rating in the red zone, scoring one touchdown on two trips inside Cincinnati's 20-yard line. The Panthers turned the ball over on downs at the Bengals' 17-yard line on their final possession of the game. Carolina has been successful on three-of-eight red zone opportunities, scoring two touchdowns and one field goal for a 37.5 percent conversion rate and 25 percent touchdown conversion rate, this season.
Takeaway/Giveaway: Carolina forced two turnovers on two interceptions. Cornerback Captain Munnerlyn notched his first career interception when he picked off Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer in the first quarter. Safety Charles Godfrey heisted his team-leading third interception in the first quarter and returned it a career-long 38 yards.
The Panthers turned it over four times on three fumbles and one interception to finish with a minus-two turnover ratio. The two takeaways resulted in no points for Carolina, and the four giveaways led to seven points for Cincinnati. The Panthers have a negative-six turnover ratio this season.
Sakrete Sacks: The Panthers collected one sack against the Bengals and have gathered two this season. Defensive end Charles Johnson took down Palmer for a 10-yard loss in the fourth quarter. During the 2010 season, Sakrete, a leader in concrete and concrete-related products, is donating $100 to the BVC Playground Build for every sack the Panthers record. Including Carolina's 19 sacks in the preseason, $2,100 has been raised.
The Specialists: Kicker John Kasay connected on his only point after touchdown. He has been successful on all three of his field-goal attempts and perfect on all three of his extra-point opportunities for 12 points this season. Kasay ranks seventh in NFL history with 411 made field goals and eighth with 1,743 points scored. He is the Panthers' all-time leader with 1,402 points scored and 329 field goals.
Punter Jason Baker generated a gross average of 44.5 yards and net average of 34.2 yards with none inside the 20, one touchback and long of 57 yards on six punts. His gross average improved to 43.0 yards and his net average fell to 35.7 yards with two punts inside the 20, one touchback, and long of 57 yards this season.
Kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd placed one-of-two kickoffs in the end zone with one touchback, helping limit the Bengals to an average kickoff drive start of their own 26-yard line. He has reached the end zone on two-of-four kickoffs with two touchbacks this season.
Inactives: The following eight players were inactive for the Panthers: wide receiver Armanti Edwards, defensive tackle Nick Hayden, wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, defensive tackle Andre Neblett, defensive end/linebacker Eric Norwood, tackle Jeff Otah, quarterback Tony Pike, and cornerback C.J. Wilson.
Stripes: Bengals punter Kevin Huber landed five punts inside the 20 to tie the record for the second-most punts inside the 20 by a Panthers opponent, previously accomplished by Tom Tupa for the New York Jets (10/28/01).
