CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The Detroit Lions have already learned how to live without one of the best running backs to play the game. Now they get to see how they fare without his replacement.

Overcoming the early departure of Ron Rivers to a broken ankle, the Lions rode a strong performance by Charlie Batch and their defense to stay atop the NFC Central with a 24-9 victory over Carolina on Sunday.

	Sedrick Irvin, who scored Detroit's first TD on a 1-yard run, helped make up for the loss of Ron Rivers.

"They have really responded to the things we've asked them to do," coach Bobby Ross said of the Lions and their 4-2 start, a record that seemed unlikely following the offseason retirement of Barry Sanders.

Rivers, who emerged as Detroit's top runner after Sanders' departure, rushed just once Sunday. He left with what was initially diagnosed as a sprained right ankle. Subsequent X-rays showed a fracture that likely will end Rivers' season, Ross said.

"We've been down this road before," offensive tackle Ray Roberts said. "We'll just plug Greg Hill and Sedrick Irvin in there and keep on truckin'. We'll be OK."

Batch threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns, and the Lions defense repeatedly made big plays against a team coming off its first back-to-back 30-point games in franchise history. Five times the Panthers drove to the Detroit 3-yard line or closer, but they came away with just three field goals.

"We didn't do anything tricky," said Detroit safety Mark Carrier, who ended one of the drives with an interception in the end zone. "I think they were getting mad. They were getting upset. And from our perspective, we were building momentum."

Hill rushed for 70 yards and Batch, showing no ill effects of a throwing-arm bruise that forced him out of last week's game, completed 16 of 27 passes.

Carolina (2-4) was penalized nine times and Steve Beuerlein was sacked four times, helping spoil the Panthers' bid to reach .500 for the first time since December 1997.

"We felt we were coming on as a football team," coach George Seifert said. "The spark, the zest wasn't there. We need to find a way to rekindle it."

The Panthers' biggest problem was their inability to finish drives.

"We were terrible inside the 5-yard line," Beuerlein said. "It's embarrassing."

Seifert took the blame for Carolina's troubles, saying the Panthers got too cute in their play-calling when they got close to the end zone.

"We were executing very well in the red zone, and today we just self-destructed as much as you could down there," he said.

GAME NOTES

Detroit rookie defensive end Mike Pringley was knocked dizzy on a kickoff return in the first quarter and did not return. Carolina tailback Tim Biakabutuka missed most of the first half after twisting his right ankle, but returned for the second half. Biakabutuka, who came in averaging an NFL-leading 8.3 yards per carry, wound up with 10 yards on nine rushes. Carolina wide receiver Patrick Jeffers also left in the fourth quarter with a groin pull. The Lions were 7-for-12 on third downs, a season-high 58 percent. Carolina's Muhsin Muhammad, who came in with an NFC-best 531 yards receiving, caught four passes for 62 yards, but miscommunicated often with Steve Beuerlein.

Batch went 5-for-7 for 49 yards on the drive that put Detroit ahead to stay, a 12-play, 80-yard march aided by four Carolina penalties. The drive ended on a 1-yard run by Irvin that made it 7-3 in the second quarter.

Batch drove the Lions for touchdowns on their first two possessions of the second half, going 7-of-10 for 99 yards. He capped the first with a 22-yard scoring pass to David Sloan and the second with a 3-yarder to Brian Stablein.

The Panthers were at the Detroit 2 three times in the first half, but had to settle for John Kasay's two field goals.

Carolina's opening possession produced a first-and-goal at the 1, but the Panthers lost 2 yards on two rushes and a third-down pass fell incomplete, bringing on Kasay for a field goal.

It was a sign of things to come.

Twice more in the first half Carolina got to the Detroit 2, but couldn't finish the drives. The first ended when Beuerlein's underthrown pass was intercepted by Carrier in the end zone. The second ended when linebacker Chris Claiborne sacked Beuerlein for an 11-yard loss, leading to Kasay's 30-yard field goal.

The fourth failure came on Carolina's opening possession of the second half. The Panthers got to the 3, only to lose 2 yards and settle for a 23-yard field goal.

Failure No. 5 came early in the fourth, with another sack, this one by safety Ron Rice, creating a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Tracy Scroggins.