CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Coach Ron Rivera says if the Carolina Panthers want to beat the Denver Broncos Thursday night theyll need to stay out of third-and-long situations.Thats something Cam Newton and company failed to do in a 24-10 loss to the Broncos in the Super Bowl seven months ago.Denvers top-ranked defense forced the Panthers into third-and-8 or longer on 12 separate occasions. That didnt bode well for the Panthers; those plays resulted in seven punts and two game-changing strip-sacks by MVP Von Miller leading to 14 Denver points -- the difference in the game.A big part of it is you have to have success on first and second down, Rivera said. We didnt have the success in the Super Bowl.The Broncos took full advantage, disguising coverages and sending extra pass rushers at Newton as part of their green dog blitz package.On Carolinas second possession, Miller beat right tackle Mike Remmers on the edge and ripped the ball away from Newton. Malik Jackson recovered in the end zone to give the Broncos a 10-0 lead.Carolina, which averaged a league-high 31.3 points per game during the regular season and 40 per game in the NFC playoffs, never could get in sync after that.Being in third-and-long is a difficult thing, whether they green dog you or blitz you straight up, Rivera said. Its tough to be successful.Newton said Sunday the Panthers have a great game plan this time around.While the league MVP wouldnt reveal the details, he confidently said the Panthers are locked and loaded for Thursday night, saying that this is a different season with different players.Were trying to get guys on the same page, Newton said. If we do that I believe well put ourselves in an unbelievable position to do what were capable of doing, and that is to win this football game.Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, who was injured his foot early in the Super Bowl but did return, said the impetus is on the running game to gain more yards on first and second down.Its very pivotal, Stewart said. Third-and-8 or third-and-11 makes it tough on the coordinators, tough on quarterbacks and tough on the offensive line to really grasp the situation.Tight end Greg Olsen said that Panthers simply made too many mistakes in the last meeting -- whether it was missing a blocking assignment, not being in the right place on a route or dropping passes.Carolina also had a season-high four turnovers against Denver in the Super Bowl.Denver has a good defense and good defenses force you into bad plays, Olsen said. At the same time we did a lot of things that were uncharacteristic of ourselves. They were plays that we were accustomed to making. That day it all snowballed on us and we never really got much going.The Panthers offense expects to benefit from the return of Kelvin Benjamin, their top wide receiver in 2014 who missed all of last season with a torn ACL.Although hes only expected to play about 35 snaps while rounding into football shape, Benjamins 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame and physical brand of play could give the Denver secondary trouble.Carolinas smaller receivers struggled against Denvers physical secondary.On one play Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib dragged wide receiver Philly Brown down by his facemask after a reception, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Talib said after the game he did it on purpose.Brown, who was shocked to hear that, said he wont let the past affect his play in the season opener.Aqib Talib dont run my life. I dont walk around thinking about him 24/7, Brown said. Thats not what Im thinking about right now. Im more focused on getting the victory.When asked if Talib has ever tried to contact him to offer an apology, Brown replied, I will block him. He will never have my number.While Benjamins return gives the Panthers a physical presence at wide receiver, Miller said the Broncos defensive backs will once again be up to the challenge.Benjamin is like a safety blanket for Cam, Miller said. Hes a deep, really big receiver -- really talented, very fast and can jump. Luckily we have the best secondary in the National Football League. ... Im totally comfortable in the no-fly zones ability to play the pass this game.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Fake Vans Shoes . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Fake Vans Toy Story . Now that hes hitting streaking teammates with pin-point passes for easy layups, Love is asserting himself as one of the true superstars in the league. http://www.fakevans.com/ . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Fake Vans Outlet . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Fake Vans SK8 . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard offered a blunt assessment of his team after Thursday nights 126-109 loss to the Houston Rockets.We kind of suck right now, he told reporters. Its that simple.The loss was Portlands second straight, following Tuesday nights 113-88 home loss to the Chicago Bulls, and dropped the Blazers record to 7-6, putting them squarely in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference.Thursdays performance also continued a disturbing trend for the team, which has allowed 111.3 points per game, second worst in the NBA. The Blazers rank 27th in the league in defensive efficiency (107.3), which measures the number of points a team allows per 100 possessions.On Thursday, after entering halftime tied at 62, the Blazers were outscored 38-21 in the third quarter. Houstons James Harden finished with 26 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season.Were just not very good right now, said Lillard, who ranks fourth in the league with 28.8 points per game. Weeve just got to keep fighting.dddddddddddd Its important for our team to stay together, and I think thats one of the biggest strengths of our team, is we stay together. If we try to stay positive, and we just keep working and keep fighting, I think at some point itll click.Well get it right, and things will be fine. But I think everybodys frustrated.The Blazers are off to an up-and-down start after finishing 44-38 last season and advancing to the second round of the playoffs, where they fell 4-1 to the?Golden State Warriors. Theyll look to turn things around Friday in the second game of a back-to-back at New Orleans.We cant get no worse, right? forward?Evan Turner said. Its got to go somewhere. Obviously, communication just has to pick up. As a unit, we just have to be accountable and, once again, draw the line with stuff. Just continue to take it more personal and draw the line. ' ' '