Carolina Panthers' Ron Rivera can't please everyone with his choices

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's easy to be an NFL head coach when you don't have to make the actual decisions.

The world of Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera now is one where every choice could be second-guessed, because when you're 13-0, every move you do or don't make could destroy Super Bowl dreams.

Case in point: what he did with a pair of starters during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 38-0 blowout of the Falcons.

Defensive end Charles Johnson was among the starters who were pulled early. Afterward, he went public with his frustrations. While Rivera understood that Johnson wanted to keep going against his home-state team, it wasn't worth the risk.

"When you do get opportunities like we had in the fourth quarter to get guys out, then you take them out," Rivera said Monday.

"If I left somebody out and we're in the middle of the fourth quarter and a major guy gets hurt, then I'm going to hear about it. This goes back to being judicious. I have to think about that part of it when we're at that point of the game."

But because of the NFL's roster restrictions, teams can't replace every starter in situations like Sunday. A rash of game-day injuries tied Rivera's hands even further. So while Johnson stewed on the sideline, cornerback Ben? Benwikere was one of the starters who stayed in.

An integral late-season replacement on the outside for the second straight year, Benwikere fractured his left leg while attempting to make a tackle on the Falcons' first play of the fourth quarter.

"We were playing very well on all cylinders, all phases, the biggest thing we had to do more than anything else was to be judicious as who we took out," Rivera said. "We'd love to take a few more guys out, but we just didn't have the personnel up."

The Panthers spent much of Monday discussing how they can attempt to patch up what has become a major hole in the secondary.

With Benwikere's season over, Charles Tillman's availability becomes much more important. The 13-year veteran has missed the past four games with a knee sprain, and he and Rivera have been vague about a possible return date.

Cortland Finnegan, signed two weeks ago to slide into Benwikere's role in the slot, saw some time on the outside late against the Falcons, but the Panthers would prefer to keep Finnegan inside. Besides Josh Norman, Teddy Williams, who's never made a start, is the only other cornerback on the roster. The Panthers are also considering practice-squad cornerback Lou Young and guys who are currently unemployed.

While much of the attention Carolina is receiving these days is focused on its record, that's not the case inside the building. An unbeaten run is fun, but paving the clearest path to three wins in the postseason is what matters most.

"This week coming up is important," Rivera said. "We'd love to be able to have home field all the way through, and the only way for us to do that is to approach it one game at a time and play to win those games.

"There's a lot of things that bring me back to the reality that it could change at any time, and one of the things I had to think about were the guys in the training room after the game. There are some things that shake you up and make you think about other things, and it does go back to the fact that it's not about being undefeated, it's about winning the Super Bowl."

REPORT CARD VS. FALCONS

--PASSING OFFENSE: A minus. QB Cam Newton posted a nearly perfect 153.3 passer rating, the best of his career. He threw three touchdowns in the first quarter, two to WR Ted Ginn. The first was a 74-yard strike, the longest reception in Ginn's 9-year career. Newton was sacked twice by the Falcons, who came in with the league's fewest sacks.?

--RUSHING OFFENSE: A minus. RB Jonathan Stewart ripped off a season-best 44-yard run on the opening drive and later scored on a 1-yard leap into the end zone. After Stewart was held out of the second half as a precaution, Fozzy Whittaker scored his first touchdown since last year's playoffs. Newton had a season-low three carries and his 4 rushing yards tied for the fewest of his career.

--PASS DEFENSE: A minus. After holding QB Matt Ryan to 108 yards in the first half, the Panthers sacked him three times in the second. They also picked off two passes, upping their league-best total to 21. CB Josh Norman helped keep WR Julio Jones out of the end zone.

--RUSH DEFENSE: A. The Panthers yet again completely shut down an opponent's run game. The Falcons gained just 54 yards on 16 carries. Over their past six games, the Panthers have allowed just 304 rushing yards.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: A minus. K Graham Gano made his only field-goal attempt, and he and P Brad Nortman did a good job limiting the effectiveness of Atlanta returner Devin Hester.?

--COACHING: A. The unbeaten Panthers never gave the Falcons, who had lost five straight and six of seven, any reason to hope. Ron Rivera's club just kept chugging along to 13-0.