Panthers whack 49ers with measuring stick in 46-27 win

[...] the defending NFC champion Panthers are among the league's best, although they didn't quite resemble that as they had four turnovers in a 46-27 win over the 49ers at Bank of America Stadium. The 49ers were coming off a season-opening 28-0 dismantling of the Rams, which had inspired chatter that the Kelly-led rebuilding project might be fast-tracked. On Sunday, the defense that embarrassed the Rams was humiliated by league MVP Cam Newton (353 yards, 4 TDs): The 49ers allowed their most yards (529) since 2007 and surrendered more than 45 points for just the second time since 2006. Most notably, a busted coverage explained why Carolina tight end Greg Olsen was left all alone on a 78-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. Kelly pointed to a 25-yard circus catch that wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin made despite being blanketed by cornerback Jimmie Ward in the third quarter. The 49ers scored 27 points, but that was a mirage as they had just two scoring drives of more than 11 yards. Running back Carlos Hyde, for example, had 34 yards rushing, averaged 2.4 yards a carry and coughed up a fumble that linebacker Shaq Thompson returned 9 yards for a touchdown. [...] quarterback...