CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the Panthers’ season continues spiraling downward, coach Ron Rivera continues to hold the line. Even though his team has not won in nearly two months, Rivera on Monday continued to preach patience.

“We’re not going to do anything knee-jerk. We’re going to go through the process,” Rivera said. “If a year ago it was good enough, and this year it’s not, then we’ve got to find out why and what happened. We believe we know why and what happened. Now we’ve got to correct those, and we’re working to correct those things. It’s not like we don’t know what’s happening.”

Plenty has happened during the Panthers’ six-game losing streak, and few of those things have been good. The funk started with a leaky defense. Then the offense went MIA on Sunday and special teams joined in by giving up two blocked punt returns for touchdowns in the first half.

Rivera said both blocks were the result of personnel breakdowns and not coaching. He and special teams coordinator Richard Rodgers have been close since they played together at Cal, and when asked if that relationship is strained because of the current struggles, Rivera answered, “It puts a strain on my relationships with all my coaches when all their positions struggle.

“We’re talking about two plays in the game. I get that. You can say the same thing about what happens when you give up a sack. You can say the same thing that happens when you miss a tackle. The only problem is unfortunately it gets magnified.”

But special teams have not been good all season.

The Panthers are last in the league in yards allowed on both punts and kickoffs. Their return teams are 18th on kickoffs and 13th on punts. Kicker Graham Gano ranks 23rd with an 83.3 field goal percentage. Punter Brad Nortman is 29th with a 38.2 net average.

Whether it is on special teams, offense or defense, anything resembling a big change does not appear to be imminent. Some players may be switched out here and there; but, for the most part, the Panthers will head into the final quarter of the season with the same structure they were built with coming into the year.

“I’m not going to get up and talk about the negativity,” Rivera said. “I do agree with (quarterback) Cam (Newton). I think the answer’s in the locker room. I think it’s in the classrooms, and I think it’s in the coaching staff.

“You don’t give up on something just because something negative happens. If we did, we’d be a nation of quitters. I ain’t quitting on us, guys.”

NOTES: RB DeAngelo Williams is considered day-to-day after breaking the middle finger on his right hand, coach Ron Rivera said. The 31-year-old franchise rushing leader has missed six games this season with hamstring and ankle injuries. … LB Luke Kuechly had two sacks. He previously had just four in his career.

REPORT CARD VS. VIKINGS

–PASSING OFFENSE: D — QB Cam Newton continues to struggle through arguably the worst stretch of his career. He set a team record by throwing an interception in his eighth straight game, and he had a passer rating (65.7) under 100 for the 10th consecutive game. A bright spot was rookie WR Philly Brown, who caught his second touchdown pass in as many games.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: A-minus — The Panthers piled up 178 rushing yards, the most since they had 194 against the Giants in Week 3 last season. RB Jonathan Stewart ran for 85, his most since he had 88 against the Bucs on Dec. 24, 2011. For some reason, the Panthers still keep starting RB DeAngelo Williams, who averaged 3.0 yards on seven carries and suffered a broken finger. His 3.5 average this season is the worst of his career.

–PASS DEFENSE: D-plus — Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater had his best day yet, finishing with a career-high 120.7 passer rating. The Panthers sacked him three times, but the rookie threw a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.

–RUSH DEFENSE: B-minus — The Panthers’ defense was on the field for a season-low 48 snaps, so it did not have much time to give up many yards. The Vikings totaled 92 yards on 24 carries.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: F — It was a historic day, and not in a good way. The Panthers had two punts blocked for just the second time in franchise history. The other was against the Giants on Dec. 28, 2003. The Vikings became just the fifth NFL team to return two blocked punts for touchdowns in a game, and they were the second to return two blocked punts for touchdowns in a half. The only other team to do it was the Lions, on Sept. 21, 1975, against the Packers.

–COACHING: F — Coming off of a bye, the Panthers looked lethargic, and they were embarrassed by another bad team. Coach Ron Rivera refuses to acknowledge obvious flaws, and offensive coordinator Mike Shula’s offense is not getting any better.