Surging Newton, Panthers face red-hot Steelers

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Cam Newton spent a portion of the summer studying Ben Roethlisberger and working out alongside Antonio Brown, something the Carolina Panthers quarterback did a mix of curiosity and respect.

Newton found himself enamored of Roethlisberger's footwork – "The play is never over for Big Ben" – and Brown's relentlessness.

"He's literally like a nocturnal beast," said Newton of Brown. '' I thought I was bad. … we had late workouts. I'm talking like 10 p.m-.ish. It was like our second or third of the day. Whenever he feels the urge to work, he works and I respect it. "

Newton will get an up-close look at Roethlisberger, Brown and the rest of the Steelers (5-2-1) when the Panthers (6-2) make a rare trip to Pittsburgh. Maybe it's the workouts with Brown. Maybe it's the report he's developed with offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Maybe it's the emergence of running back Christian McCaffrey. Whatever it is, Newton is in the midst of his finest season since winning league MVP in 2015.

Maybe that's why Roethlisberger just laughed when he asked for it.

'' I do not need to give advice, '' Roethlisberger said. '' He's Superman. ''

A Man of Steel who could be a handful for a resilient Pittsburgh defense. The Steelers were a hot mess during the first half of the year when they figured out things during their four-game winning streak. Pittsburgh is allowing just 275.5 yards per game over the last month. That's a combination of speeding up the pace of the game and spending time on the back of James Conner.

Still, the Panthers present their own unique challenge. Carolina might be the NFL's closest approximation to a throwback. The Panthers have run for at least 121 yards in seven of eight games, with Newton serving as the catalyst. At 29 he's a pace for a career in a flash, a mixture of Turner's creative play calling and Newton's pragmatic approach when he tucks the ball and takes off. While he's still happy to deliver a shot now, he's more likely to slide before getting hit.

Pittsburgh, fourth in the league in sacks, is determined to make sure Newton does not get loose.

"There's no way he can duck 10 bullets," steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. "If everyone is shooting their shot, someone is bound to hit. That's got to be group effort. … It's a heck of a test. ''

Some things to watch for the first time in the United States.

THE WHO EVENT?

Wayward Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell is nearing the end of his long standoff with the club. He has until Nov. 13 to report and sign his one-year franchise tender if he wants to make sure he will increase the service time. After some initial angst, Bell teammates have moved on. Conner is thriving in Bell's absence. He's second in the league in total yards and is the first player in team history to have 10 total touchdowns through eight games.

"James Conner has been rolling and bulldozing people," Brown said.

GIMME THAT

Carolina is winning the turnover battle. The Panthers have been successful in six-in-one games and are 6-1 in those games. They are 5-0 when winning the turnover battle outright.

Carolina is fourth in the league in turnover with a plus-8, sixth in points off turnovers (51), seventh in total takeaways (15), and tied for fourth in interceptions (11) behind speedy rookie cornerback Donte Jackson, who has oven picks.

Since 2015, Carolina leads the NFL with 102 takeaways and is second with 62 interceptions.

FEISTY FEILER

Pittsburgh right tackle Matt Feiler Marcus Gilbert. An undrafted free agent, Feiler is thriving while opening up the holes for Conner and helping keep Roethlisberger clean. Roethlisberger has been sacked twice during Pittsburgh's winning streak. Feiler's success is not exactly unprecedented. Three members of Pittsburgh's current starting offensive line – Feiler, left guard Ramon Foster and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva – went undrafted.

Story Continues