CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton tried to tell everyone who would listen last week that the Carolina Panthers were much better than an 0-2 team.

He and his teammates went out and proved it.

Newton threw three touchdown passes and ran for another, and Carolina sacked Eli Manning seven times as the Panthers handed Tom Coughlin his worst defeat as coach of the New York Giants, 38-0 on Sunday.

The Panthers posted the most lopsided victory in franchise history, helping to eliminate questions about coach Ron Rivera's job security entering the team's bye week.

"I told a couple of guys we were past due for a win like this," Newton said. "A win like this boosts our ego and gives us that swagger we need."

Carolina's previous best rout was a 34-0 win over Kansas City in 2008.

This one couldn't have come at a better time for Rivera, especially after his team squandered fourth-quarter leads to Seattle and Buffalo. That dropped his record to 2-14 in games decided by seven points or fewer and raised speculation about his job.

"We allowed coach, as people say, to survive another week," Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith said.

Defensive end Greg Hardy, who tied a career-high with three sacks in the first half, said if Rivera was feeling pressure to win he never let on to his players at practice.

"He basically came out and said, 'You know what, (to heck with) me, I'm here for you guys,'" Hardy said. "He said, 'This is what we're going to do. We're going to win because we are a team not because of any of that.' It makes you want to play 10 times harder for him."

The Giants have plenty of concerns as they prepare for next Sunday's game against unbeaten Kansas City.

Of the 161 teams that have started the season 0-3 since 1978, only five made the NFL playoffs, according to STATS.

A terse Coughlin said after the game "Disappointed isn't a strong enough word. I expected more."