CHARLOTTE -- Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera struggles to describe precisely how he has evolved in his job.

"I don't know if 'mellowed' is the right word," Rivera said. "I really don't know exactly how to [put it]. But I will say this: I've learned. I've paid attention to the mistakes I've made, I've tried to make sure I don't make the same mistakes twice and I definitely try to get answers to questions as they come up."

These days, who could question Rivera's approach?

The Panthers on Sunday improved to 10-0 with a 44-16 victory over the Washington Redskins. One of two undefeated teams in the league (New England is the other), the Panthers built a 17-point halftime cushion and floored the accelerator early in the second half, again showing why, at least through Week 11, it appears the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through the Queen City.

And as the Panthers continue to build a spectacular resumé, there's also mounting evidence that their leader is among the best coaches in the NFL. Generally, a team won't win its first 10 games unless most of its parts are in sync. Under Rivera, Carolina is humming along, not only the winners of 10 straight to start the season, but of 14 straight regular-season games overall. Rivera's last loss in a non-playoff game was Nov 30 of last season, an incredible feat.

To truly understand how far the Panthers have come just this season, however, you have to go back to where they started. The team was devastated in August when standout second-year wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Although Rivera was confident Pro Bowl quarterback Cam Newton would rely on top-notch tight end Greg Olsen, the Panthers, to put it nicely, lacked a No. 1-caliber wideout. That was a problem. But at its most basic level, coaching is about two things: Solving problems and inspiring players. Rivera has displayed a knack for doing both well.

"One of the things people kept asking was, 'Well, who's Cam gonna throw the ball to?' " Rivera recalled. "They looked at our team and saw something; we saw something different.

"And that group [Carolina's receiving corps] has stepped up and improved. It's been awesome to see. It's one of those things you try to ingrain in the players -- that they can do it."

In Sunday's rout, Newton torched the Redskins for a personal-best five touchdown passes to five different receivers. Targeting wideouts, Newton completed 14 of 23 passes (60.9 percent) for 173 yards. For Newton, it's the most completions targeting Panthers wide receivers since Week 6 of last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Journeyman Ted Ginn Jr., who moved to the top of Carolina's depth chart despite having only 14 receptions last season, already has caught 30 passes. Olsen has been a rock star as usual, catching six touchdown passes among a team-leading 48 receptions.

Rivera is quick to praise offensive coordinator Mike Shula and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey for the work they've done to help the Panthers patch holes in their passing game. To be sure, X's-and-O's tinkering has made a difference.

Cam Newton has thrived under the current coaching staff, improving as a passer while remaining a run threat. AP Photo/Bob Leverone

However, the tough-minded tone Rivera set after Benjamin went down shaped the Panthers' identity. Rivera's motto is simple: No crutches.

Newton bought in immediately. Cam has been MVP-caliber fabulous despite carrying a ridiculously heavy workload. "No other quarterback is asked to do what he has to do, both run and pass," Olsen said. "He is playing as good of ball as there is in the league."

Ginn's assessment was more succinct: "He's just doing what he does at the wheel."

The strong Rivera-Newton relationship provides the foundation for Carolina's success. In their fifth year together, Rivera and Newton are pursuing a third consecutive NFC South title and Rivera's skillful handling of Newton's development is another example of his rock-solid leadership. After Washington made changes designed to help him, former dual-threat sensation Robert Griffin III wound up buried on the bench. Likewise, the San Francisco 49ers' plans to help Colin Kaepernick have backfired.

Unlike the Redskins and 49ers, the Panthers have developed a winning formula for a passer who doesn't fit the traditional NFL mold. And Rivera is not about to change it now.

"Mike [Shula] and Ken [Dorsey] and the rest of the offensive staff understand Cam's skill set. They know he has the ability to be a pocket passer, they know he has the ability to be a passer on the run and he has the ability to be a passer from the zone-read sets," Rivera said. "So why don't we just find what he does best?

"What we've done is, over a period of time, we continue to look at his skill set and try to put in what we think will work for him and fits him. Then we give him the opportunity to go do it. That's one of the reasons why he has had so much success. It's not dictating what we want to do. We really look at him and go from there."

That's a smart way of doing business by someone who supposedly was on the fast track to unemployment two years ago.

With Carolina 1-2 and off to a slow start under Rivera during Week 5 of the 2013 season, the NFL Network reported that it expected Rivera would be fired that week. Obviously, Rivera remained on the job. And he hasn't forgotten that some people thought he would be long gone from the franchise by now.

Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula could be a popular name this offseason. Chuck Burton/AP

"Do I think about it? Yeah, I think about it," Rivera said, his voice becoming slightly sterner. "You can learn a lot from that situation."

People outside the organization learned how much Panthers players believe in Rivera. Since the report about Rivera's job status, the Panthers are 28-9-1. After being selected the Associated Press coach of the year, Rivera again is on a very short list for this season's award.

Granted, the Panthers' schedule has been on the easier side (Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is 1-12 on the road in his career). But you don't have to be a genius to see how well-coached this team is based on what they have.

Now that the Dallas Cowboys have quarterback Tony Romo back, the Panthers could make a strong statement by winning on the road on Thanksgiving. Not that Rivera needs the validation.

"In your first head coaching job, it really doesn't matter you who are, you're going to make mistakes," Rivera said. "It's like that old saying, 'Don't try to draw me a map unless you've been there.' Well, I had never been there. I had kind of taken the wrong path a couple of times. But I'm learning and I'm growing."

Rivera has grown into an accomplished head coach. The Panthers are rising with him. Come playoff time, it's a combination that could make this team special.