Thoughts on the Carolina Panthers' 36-14 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium:

What it means: Did you really expect it to go any other way? Carolina’s dismal season just continued to get worse as former coach John Fox, armed with Peyton Manning, came to town and provided another painful reminder of how far the Panthers have fallen since their glory days under Fox. It’s sad to say, but the best of times for this franchise now seem like they came a very long time ago. That’s only because the best of times for the Panthers were in the middle of the last decade. The Panthers are now 2-7 and appear well on their way to another losing season.

Can’t blame it all on Newton: Quarterback Cam Newton has become a lightning rod for all that ails the Panthers. But you can’t hang this one on Newton because he never had a chance. Newton was sacked seven times.

Insult to injury: Denver’s Von Miller, who was selected one spot behind Newton in the 2011 draft, had a sack, forced a fumble and had four tackles for a loss. In fact, Miller really rubbed it in by doing his version of Newton’s "Superman Celebration" after a sack on Carolina’s second series.

Same old story: It’s been pointed out frequently that Carolina’s not getting much out of highly-paid running backs DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert. Let’s go ahead and point it out again because the Panthers manage to pile up 52 rushing yards against the Broncos and seven of those came from Newton.

What’s next: The Panthers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Sunday.