CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carolina Panthers will head into their bye week with a good taste in their mouths, after taking care of their week three opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-21 on Sunday.

The bye week rolls in as early as possible in the NFL, which can be a blessing or a curse. Or both.

“I would like to have on three or four weeks from now, but it also came at a good time for us with everybody nicked up the way they are,” Head Coach Ron Rivera said Monday.  

The possible benefit from this early bye week, is another mini-bye that will roll in after the Panthers face the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 10.

“It works out, because the Thursday night comes at a good spacing with this early bye,” Rivera said.

So what did we learn about Sunday’s win? A quick sampler:

THE PANTHERS OFFENSE ISN’T BAD

QB Cam Newton only threw for 150 total yards, but two of his completions went for touchdowns, and he ran in two other scores. A tidy 108.0 passer rating was nothing to sneeze at.

The major damage was caused by running back Christian McCaffrey, with 28 carries for an eye-popping 184 yards.

All of the numbers wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for a tremendous effort by the offensive line. Ryan Kalil was the only projected starter in the lineup on Sunday, as Chris Clark, Amini Silatolu, Greg VanRoten and Taylor Moton went to work on the Bengals defensive front.

EFE OBADA BURSTS ONTO THE SCENE

There are so many terrific storylines throughout the NFL, but Efe Obada’s transcends a great many of them.

Obada is Nigerian-born, moved to the Netherlands, and was then trafficked at the age of 10 to London, and would be left homeless.

Sunday, the first-ever player to make an NFL 53-man roster from the League’s International Pathway Player Program would record his first interception, AND his first sack. He also was credited with a pair of quarterback hurries.

His efforts were spotlighted with a pair of interceptions for rookie Donte Jackson. Jackson was not a practice participant on both Wednesday and Thursday, but was healthy enough to play Sunday, and was a major contributor.