CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A day after the Carolina Panthers’ first tie in their 20-year history, coach Ron Rivera admitted he wasn’t sure how to feel.

“Still trying to figure it out,” Rivera said. “We had a chance to win this game. I know Cincinnati’s saying the same thing, but we had opportunities.”

Rivera would need more than two hands to count Carolina’s missed opportunities against the Bengals. His short list included receiver Jerricho Cotchery dropping what would have been a game-winning touchdown in overtime, quarterback Cam Newton overthrowing tight end Greg Olsen in the end zone early in the fourth quarter and an 89-yard touchdown sprint by Bengals running back Giovani Bernard that featured blown gap assignments and a missed tackle.

That play set a Panthers record for their longest rush allowed. The previous mark was set in Week 3 when Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell broke loose for an 81-yard gain. The two plays are the longest runs in the NFL this season.

Yet somewhat strangely, Rivera was extra defensive when asked about his leaky defense.

“It was just one play,” referring to the Bernard touchdown. “It was one running play that went 80-some yards. Other than that, our gap integrity was outstanding. That’s the unfortunate thing. The big play kind of blows the numbers out of proportion and people think, ‘Wow, they got run over.'”

But except for the second half of a Week 5 win over the Bears, the Panthers have been getting run over. They are giving up 140.2 rushing yards per game, which ranks them 26th. And the issues go beyond just stopping the run.

Over the last month, the entire unit has been unrecognizable from a group that finished 2013 as the second-ranked defense in the league. After their Week 2 win against the Lions, the Panthers had allowed the NFL’s second-fewest points (10.5) per game and fifth-fewest yards (293.5). Four weeks later, Carolina is 24th in points allowed (26.2) and 26th in yards allowed (392.5).

The tailspin coincides with the absence of Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy, who was placed on the league’s exempt list in Week 3.

“It’d be asinine for me to sit up here and say his loss has no impact on us. But at the same time, it is the next man (up) mentality,” Rivera said.

“It’d be easy to just sit here and say that, but I’m not going to because you’d start letting a lot of people off the hook, me included. The truth of the matter is, these guys are professionals, and they need to play well, and they need to play better.”

Even if he wouldn’t admit it, Rivera’s defense is likely keeping him up at night. And sleep probably won’t come easy this week with a trip to play the potent Packers up next.

But Rivera is at peace with a decision that helped lead to Sunday’s tie. Instead of going for a potential win on 4th-and-1 from the Bengals 18-yard-line near the end of overtime, he elected to send his field goal unit on for the game-tying field goal. And while Riverboat Ron played that hand conservatively, the math could work out in his favor when the playoff numbers start to settle later this season.

“I’m still confident because we’re still in a good position. The half-game could end up being the difference,” Rivera said. “I’m not going to look back; I’m just going to look forward, and we’re going to build off this.”

INJURY WATCH: RB DeAngelo Williams will be out “a couple more” weeks with a high ankle sprain, according to Rivera. … RB Jonathan Stewart, who has missed three games with a knee sprain, is expected to practice Wednesday. … G Amini Silatolu shed the walking boot he was in Sunday night. An MRI on Monday revealed a calf sprain, but his timetable is unclear. … CB Bene Benwikere is unlikely to return from a high ankle sprain this week.

REPORT CARD VS. BENGALS

PASSING OFFENSE: B – Quarterback Cam Newton continues to spread the wealth. A week after he completed passes to eight different receivers, nine guys caught passes against the Bengals. Newton tossed touchdowns to receiver Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen, but there were missed opportunities in the passing game as well. On a drive that ended the third quarter and started the fourth, Benjamin had a score brought back when he was called for pushing off, and two players later, Newton overthrew Olsen in the end zone. In overtime, receiver Jerricho Cotchery didn’t haul in what would have been a game-winning touchdown.

RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus – The Panthers rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time since Week 1, but Newton had to do nearly all the heavy lifting. After a gimpy ankle and sore ribs contained him to just 14 rushes his four previous games, Newton had a career-best 17 attempts. He ran for 107 yards, the second-highest total of his career (116 vs. Atlanta on 12/9/12). Starting running back Fozzy Whittaker scored the first rushing touchdown of his career, but after nine carries and 25 yards, he was held out after his troublesome quad acted up again. Undrafted rookie Darrin Reaves replaced Whittaker and gained just 15 yards on eight carries.

PASS DEFENSE: D-minus – After allowing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to complete 44 of their combined 61 attempts, the Panthers had plenty of trouble against another AFC North quarterback. Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton was 33-for-43 for 323 yards and two touchdowns. But unlike their games against Roethlisberger and Flacco, the Panthers did intercept Dalton twice. Charles Johnson picked up Carolina’s only sack, which actually doubled the Bengals’ 2014 sack total. With starting wideout A.J. Green out with a toe injury, Mohamed Sanu set career highs with 10 receptions and 120 yards. He also beat previously benched cornerback Melvin White for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

RUSH DEFENSE: D – In Week 3, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell broke off an 81-yard run, which was the longest rush ever against the Panthers. Three weeks later, Giovani Bernard set a new record with an 89-yard touchdown sprint past the Carolina defense early in the second quarter. Bernard finished with 18 carries and 137 yards, becoming the third back in four games (Bell, LeGarrette Blount) to rush for more than 100 yards against the Panthers after they had allowed just one player to do that in their previous 22 games. Bengals No. 2 back added 22 yards on eight carries.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus – Graham Gano hit two clutch field goals — a 44-yarder to send the game to overtime and a 36-yard attempt in the extra period — but he was wide right from 38 yards early in the fourth quarter. Gano was also uncharacteristically short on a fourth-quarter kickoff that Adam Jones returned 97 yards, setting up a Bengals touchdown. Brad Nortman punted just once for 38 yards. Philly Brown gained five yards on his only punt return, and he averaged 22.3 yards on six kickoff returns.

COACHING: B-plus – Head coach Ron Rivera’s first controversial in-game decision this season came late in overtime. With the Panthers facing a 4th-and-1 from the Bengals 18-yard-line, Rivera sent Gano out to kick the tying field goal. The call was not Riverboat Ron-ish, but it may have been the smart thing to do against a good team on the road. Offensive coordinator Mike Shula called arguably his best game of the season. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, whose unit is nowhere close to the 2013 group that was the second-best defense in the NFL, is going to have another sleepless week with a game against the potent Packers ahead.