CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cam Newton arrived at Sunday’s postgame news conference dressed in a black jacket with a built-in preacher’s stole featuring a cross with jewels and one of his custom-made hats with a silver necklace hanging over the top.

Christian McCaffrey arrived in a yellow T-shirt with the name “Bruce Lee" in large letters across the front.

The Carolina Panthers' quarterback and running back didn’t look like they were headed to the same party.

But during a 31-21 victory over Cincinnati the duo were on the same page in a way that Norv Turner envisioned when the Panthers hired him in January to revamp the offense.

Newton rushed for two touchdowns, passed for two more and completed 62.5 percent of his passes. McCaffrey rushed for a career-high 184 yards on a career-high 28 carries a week after catching a career-high 14 passes for 102 yards.

The second-year back also caught two passes for 10 yards, giving him a career-high 30 touches for the game.

Remember when Turner said he wanted to get Newton, with a career completion percentage of 58.5, in the 65 to 70 percent range? And get McCaffrey 25 to 30 touches a game?

This is what he was talking about.

The two working in tandem behind a makeshift offensive line set up play-action passes, deep routes and everything that has been a part of Turner’s success as a coordinator.

“We spoke momentarily afterward," Newton said of a conversation with his offensive coordinator. “It’s just keeping defenses off balance. Keeping a balanced run game, balanced pass game, taking shots when they’re there, guys making contested catches, guys blocking on the perimeter, guys busting their tails all over the field."

The difference on Sunday and the first two games is that McCaffrey was the focal point of the running game, not Newton. The second-year back had only 18 carries for 87 yards against Dallas and Atlanta, while Newton had 18 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Newton can’t set up the play-action well when he’s the running threat.

But when the defense is focused on McCaffrey as a threat running and receiving that opens everything.

That was most evident in the second quarter when McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson lined up in the backfield on consecutive plays. Anderson gained 6 yards on the first play and then caught a 24-yard screen pass on the next when the defense went with McCaffrey as Newton faked what would have been a lateral to his right.

“C-Mac is a ballplayer," Newton said. “It’s hard for a lot of people to label him. They want to say he’s this, but playing like today he’s obviously not just a receiving back. He’s a total running back. He shows signs that this is not a fluke."

McCaffrey admitted it has bothered him that critics have said he can’t run between the tackles in the NFL the way he did at Stanford, where he was one of the top all-purpose backs in college during the 2015 and '16 seasons.

That his top rushing performance before Sunday was 15 carries for 66 yards, last year against Atlanta, fueled that even more.

“It definitely bothered me," McCaffrey said. “But the more and more I go through this league I learned it’s never about proving anyone wrong or proving anybody right. It’s just proving myself right.

“That’s the biggest thing I’ve mentally had to take over as I continue to grow."

The offense in general proved it is headed in the right direction. If the defense can continue to tighten up and play to expectations the Panthers (2-1) have a chance to make some noise in the NFC.

That they have the bye to let a few injuries heal and the New York Giants at home in two weeks gives them a chance to get off to a 3-1 start.

“When you’ve got a team playing confident like we’re playing, it makes us hard to beat," Newton said. “But as we go into this bye week, we know we can’t get off the pedal.

“We want to impose our will. We are a team that can attack a defense many different ways. And as the game progresses, I see the body language on the defensive line and the body language of defenders and they’re wearing down."