CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers are 1-3, their MVP quarterback has a concussion and their young secondary just allowed Matt Ryan to throw for 503 yards and four touchdowns.Yep, the NFCs best team last season is reeling.The Panthers are 1/3 for the fourth time in six seasons under coach Ron Rivera, but the two-time NFL Coach of the Year said this one feels different.I think we should be better than we are, Rivera said Monday.Carolina has won three straight NFC South titles, but is two games behind the Atlanta Falcons (3-1) one quarter of the way through the season.And now theres a chance they could be without Cam Newton for a while.Newton left Sundays 48-33 loss to the Falcons in the fourth quarter with a concussion and did not return. Rivera said Newtons status for next Monday nights home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is uncertain. The Panthers visit the New Orleans Saints in another division matchup in Week 6 before a bye week.Derek Anderson, who threw two TD passes and two interceptions against the Falcons, would start if Newton isnt cleared from the concussion protocol. Anderson was 2-0 as a starter for Carolina in 2014 with both wins coming against Tampa Bay.Rivera last spoke to Newton after the game at the Georgia Dome and said the quarterback told him, Im fine.But the coach said he hadnt spoken to Newton on Monday and that I have no idea what has come out of the meeting with the doctors.The Panthers return to practice Wednesday.Newton inexplicably slowed down nearing the goal line on a 2-point conversion run on Sunday and took a legal hit from linebacker Deion Jones.Rivera, a former NFL linebacker with the Chicago Bears, seemed to have no problem with the hit, saying If I was playing Id have taken the shot.Even before the injury, Newton wasnt playing particularly smart.He was flagged for a taunting penalty in the first quarter and finished 14 of 25 for 165 yards and a touchdown with a few overthrows.Newton has eight combined touchdowns and six turnovers so far this season. At this point last season, Newton had nine combined TDs and three turnovers -- and the Panthers were on their way to a 14-0 start and a trip to the Super Bowl. His QB rating (80.2) is at a career low and hes only completing 57.9 percent of his passes.The offensive line, which was missing left tackle Michael Oher (concussion) on Sunday, has allowed 13 sacks against Newton, considered to be one of the more mobile quarterbacks in the league.Rivera said the team needs to learn how to better utilize the options they have on offense.Theres plenty of blame to go around though.Carolinas starting defensive ends Charles Johnson and Kony Ealy have yet to get a sack, and its young secondary allowed Julio Jones to pile up 300 yards receiving -- the fourth-most in the Super Bowl era.The Panthers removed the $13.9 million franchise tag from All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman in the offseason and turned to three rookies to help replace him, including starter James Bradberry. That appears to be a huge mistake for a team well under the NFL salary cap.Bradberry was outmatched when lined up against Jones, allowing three completions for 51 yards on Atlantas first possession before leaving for about two quarters with a toe injury.When asked about the Panthers problems in the secondary on the Dan LeBatard Show, Norman responded, You get what you pay for.Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, whose defense had finished in the top 10 in the league the past four seasons, said he expected some growing pains from his young secondary.I would be naive to think that wouldnt have been the case, McDermott said. ... Theres a lot of communication that goes on there, but that is the challenge that goes on as a coach.Still, the Panthers arent used to giving up 597 yards in a game.When asked if he thinks Norman might have made a difference, McDermott said. I havent thought about Josh on our defense since the minute he left. That is how you have to do your job. 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Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Mike Cuellar Jersey . Burke is expected to miss two to three months after breaking a finger in the teams third preseason game. Tinsley, a 10-year veteran, spent the last two seasons in Utah, where the point guard averaged 3. NEW YORK -- A year after one of the most significant and stunning losses of Serena Williams illustrious career, shes made it back to the same stage of the same tournament: the U.S. Open semifinals.The stakes and opponent are different. Once again, there is history in the offing.At Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2015, two wins shy of completing the first calendar-year Grand Slam in more than a quarter-century, Williams was upset in three sets by unseeded Roberta Vinci of Italy. At Ashe on Thursday night, two wins shy of claiming a record 23rd major singles title and earning a record 187th consecutive week at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, Williams faces 10th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.Vinci never had participated in a Grand Slam singles semifinal. Neither has Pliskova, who hadnt even been past the third round at major until now.The 24-year-old Pliskova grew up watching the Williams sisters play on TV and she already eliminated one in this tournament, beating Venus in a third-set tiebreaker after saving a match point in the fourth round.Asked whether she expected to get some advice from her sibling before facing Pliskova, the younger Williams said: Im sure she will tell me something. But Ill be there. Ill be ready tomorrow.Pliskova will be trying to become only the fourth woman to beat both Williams sisters at the same major, joining Martina Hingis at the 2001 Australian Open, Justine Henin at the 2007 U.S. Open, and Kim Clijsters at the 2009 U.S. Open.But Pliskova, who leads the tour in aces this season, realizes what a daunting task awaits her against Williams.Shes a big hitter and she can have 50 winners -- and you cannot do much about it, said Pliskova, whose twin sister is also a tennis player. But Im still going to hope that there is going to be some chance in the match where I can get my chance and be the one who is playing aggressive.ddddddddddddThe other womens semifinal Thursday is No. 2 Angelique Kerber of Germany against 74th-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, a former No. 1 who is a two-time runner-up at Flushing Meadows.Kerber, who is 7-5 against Wozniacki, has a chance to overtake Williams atop the rankings after the tournament.This would mean a lot to me, Kerber said. I mean, when I was a kid, I was always dreaming (of) being the No. 1. Lets see. I mean, there are still matches to go.Williams overcame a real challenge in the quarterfinals, her first of the these two weeks, by getting past No. 5 Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 with the help of 18 aces and by winning the point on 26 of her 32 trips to the net.The sore right shoulder that developed in the days after the American won Wimbledon to tie Steffi Grafs Open-era mark of 22 major championships does not appear to be a problem any long.I feel OK. Im not at 100 percent, but Im OK, Williams said. Nothing to complain too much about.During the difficulties she encountered in the second set of her quarterfinal -- Williams went 0 for 12 on break points -- there never was the sort of emotional display she is famous for. A cracked racket, say, or screams of anger or self-encouragement.I was rather positive today, and thats not normal. Im just going to go with it, Williams said with a smile.Asked later to explain her mental state more, Williams replied: I was really rather calm today and not trying to be. I guess thats just how I got out of bed this morning. I definitely wanted to do some more `Come ons. I dont know why. Thats weird.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '