CHARLOTTE — The Panthers are hitting the road again, but this time it's with a win under their belt as they head north to the shore of Lake Erie for a Week 3 matchup with the Cleveland Browns.

Both teams are coming off a win. The NFC South and AFC North face off this season, and Cleveland defeated the Buccaneers on Sunday, 23-19. The Panthers notched their first win of the season as well, with a 34-3 win over the Falcons.

The Panthers are 4-3 all-time against the Browns. Carolina is 2-1 at home and 2-2 on the road at Cleveland. Carolina has not played the Browns since 2022 and hasn't registered a win against Cleveland since 2014. The last time the Panthers won in Cleveland was Dec. 1, 2002. It will be much warmer this time.

Get to know the 2026 Cleveland Browns ahead of Sunday's Week 3 matchup.

Secondary stepping up

After nine seasons, two defensive player of the year wins, five first-team All-Pros, seven Pro Bowls, and a single-season sack record, the Browns and Myles Garrett parted ways in a trade that sent Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams and brought Jared Verse to Cleveland.

With Garrett on the other side of the country, the Browns had to look other places for pressure. In Week 2 at least, much of it came from the secondary. The Browns sacked Baker Mayfield three times on Sunday, and two of those sacks were by defensive backs: safety Grant Delpit and safety Ronnie Hickman.

The Browns' first-round pick from 2025, defensive tackle Mason Graham, has recorded a sack in both games. Cleveland's second-round pick from 2025 and defensive rookie of the year, Carson Schwesinger, is the team's leading tackler through two games with 20 tackles.

Young receiver duo is shining

The Browns loaded up on offensive firepower in this year's draft. They nabbed Charlotte local and Texas A&M (and NC State) product KC Concepcion in the first round, before following that up with Washington receiver Denzel Boston in the second round.

The move proved fortuitous as the two led the Browns through the first two weeks in receptions and yards. Concepcion has a team-high 10 receptions, turning that into 71 yards. Boston is the team leader in yardage, with 154 yards. He's done that on seven receptions and has two touchdowns. He's the only Browns player (non-QB) with a touchdown in both games. Boston hauled in a 55-yard touchdown against the Bucs, and 42 of those yards came after the catch.

QB questions getting answered?

The Browns spent much of their offseason juggling quarterback questions, with plenty of input from their fanbase. Even with Dillon Gabriel waiting on Injured Reserve, the club elected to carry three passers on their active roster: Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Taylen Green.

Despite Sanders having the best statistical performance of the Browns QB room through the preseason, Cleveland named Watson the starter. Watson had not played, much less started, since Week 7 of the 2024 season.

Through two games, he has gone 40-of-52 for 443 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He has also taken 7.0 sacks during that time. The Browns haven't shied away from letting Watson run, something that was a hallmark of his game when he was with the Texans. So far, he has 60 yards on 13 carries.