CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton sometimes shows up for his weekly Wednesday news conference sounding as if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Or as if his biological clock is stuck before 10 a.m. because, as he's jokingly noted, before 10 a.m. he’s as quiet as defensive end Julius Peppers.

Sometimes, though, Newton is chatty. Maybe even full of himself.

This Wednesday he was the latter, a good sign for a player whose confidence could have been shaken by Sunday’s performance in a 9-3 victory against Buffalo.

Newton was sacked six times, hit another seven and forced to run probably more than he or the coaching staff desired. It was reminiscent of games from a year ago when the 2015 NFL MVP was pounded to the point that coach Ron Rivera said during the offseason his quarterback needed to "rebuild his confidence."

But Newton’s confidence appeared anything but “shook," as Rivera called it at owners meetings in March. Maybe that’s because the Panthers are 2-0 as they prepare for 0-2 New Orleans.

Winning does mask mistakes.

Maybe it’s because Newton has bought into what Rivera said about him making good decisions -- that it’s simply a matter of knocking off the rust and executing.

Regardless, Newton isn’t down on himself after failing to get Carolina into the end zone on Sunday. He spent several minutes rattling off all the nicknames he has for players on Carolina’s defense, which is ranked No. 1 in the NFL.

And yes, as he added at the end, it’s the best Carolina defense he’s seen since arriving in 2011.

Newton joked more than usual with reporters before his news conference. He gave a somewhat eloquent answer about changing the culture in Charlotte when asked about being only one win from 54 and passing Jake Delhomme as the winningest quarterback in Carolina history.

Newton wasn’t even down about losing Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, his security blanket for much of the past three seasons, for at least eight weeks with a broken right foot.

“You know, we just got to keep building," Newton said. “And like I say, when one guy goes out, there's no need to panic ... go on the tank. We need guys to lift their play up."

Newton understands that he needs to lift his play, particularly in the next two weeks as the Panthers face two high-powered offenses, New Orleans and New England. He understands they can’t win those games by scoring field goals instead of touchdowns.

And his confidence is intact.

“I don’t worry about that," Rivera said. “As we go forward and we get a chance to break tape down and see the reasons why things happen, I think everyone just relaxes and takes a breath and starts for the next week."

Rivera has been impressed by Newton’s decision-making even though the execution hasn’t always been there. Overthrown passes on Sunday to running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end Ed Dickson cost the Panthers one touchdown and likely another scoring opportunity.

If Newton makes one or both of those throws, the outside world wouldn’t be questioning him.

“I just think it's a matter of time," Rivera said of Newton getting his timing back. “I liken it to a pitcher; a guy's got to get back into form when he goes on the DL and then he comes back off. Unfortunately for us, we didn't have that opportunity to have all those minor league games that he goes out and throws."

Newton played only one series in the preseason. He’s thrown only 57 passes in the first two games and at times has been limited in practice the past two weeks, as he was on Wednesday, when he rested the shoulder that required offseason surgery.

But Rivera believes in time his quarterback will be where he needs to be to compete at a high level.

"When? I’m not quite sure, but we’ll know. We’ll see," Rivera said. "But I know this. If he continues to make the decisions he’s making right now -- he’ s made a lot of good decisions -- it’s just a matter of time."