KANSAS CITY, Mo.    Beyond their 27-21 loss to Kansas City Sunday, the Panthers' came away from the game with some significant injury questions.

   The most serious seemed to be the status of safety Sherrod Martin, who suffered an injury to his right knee late in the second quarter. Martin left the game and did not return. He was on crutches and wearing a knee brace in the Panthers' locker room after the game.

   "They're concerned about the knee, obviously," head coach Ron Rivera said. "He'll get X-rays and MRIs and then we'll know more as far as that's concerned."

   Martin said he wasn't sure what happened when he was injured and wasn't certain of the severity.

   "It's the first time I've ever dealt with something like that. I don't how it's supposed to feel," Martin said.

   Also, wide receiver Brandon LaFell suffered a foot injury of undetermined severity.

  "He sprained the foot and we'll see how that goes," Rivera said.

  Linebacker James Anderson was poked in his left eye during the game, left for a time and briefly returned. However, Anderson's eye was badly swollen during and after the game.

   "He had trouble opening it, keeping it open," Rivera said. "At the end we just couldn't put him back out there because he was struggling."

   The Panthers played without running back Jonathan Stewart, who did not make the trip because of a sprained ankle.

    COSTLY MISTAKE: In the fourth quarter, rookie cornerback Josh Thomas was flagged for a 15-yard personal foul penalty after shoving a Kansas City player after the whistle had blown. It happened after the Panthers had stopped Chiefs running back Jamal Charles for no gain on a first-down play.

    Thomas partially atoned for his mistake with a pass break-up on third down but the personal foul penalty contributed to Kansas City getting a 52-yard field goal from Ryan Succop on the drive.

   "I was just being true to myself and looking out for my teammate," Thomas said. "It happened really fast in the heat of the game like that. That's something I need to continue to work on, just being smart in between the plays and not go for the bait."

   CAM'S DAY: Quarterback Cam Newton completed 15 of 27 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards on seven carries.

   He led the Panthers to touchdowns on their first two possessions but managed just one more after that.

   "It doesn't matter if you get the ball two times, it doesn't matter if you get the ball three or four times," Newton said. “In an offense, our job is to put up points no matter how many times you get the ball. We just have to get our job done.

  "If we get the ball in our hands we have to score."

   PLAYING THE GAME: Several Panthers said they understood the Chiefs were in a difficult situation in deciding to play the game as scheduled after the tragic events involving linebacker Jovan Belcher Saturday. They did not have an issue with the game going on as scheduled.

   "That's for the Chiefs to make," tight end Greg Olsen said. "I don't think any of us know what they're going through. They made a decision. It was their decision to make. It shouldn't be our decision. I don't even think about the NFL. I think they did what they felt was best for this city and this organization and that's the way you go.

   "You definitely feel for them. What they're going through is tragic. But we have a job to do and our job is to come here and prepare to win. There's no sympathy when the game starts. Everybody is out there fighting for their jobs, fighting for whatever in that season. They wouldn't expect anything less. It's just the way the game goes."

   Linebacker Thomas Davis said he couldn't fully appreciate what the Chiefs were going through.

  "We can sit back and say we feel a certain way but unless it's in your house, you never know how those guys felt," Davis said. "We knew they were going to come out and play inspired. They lost one of their brothers."

   SITTING OUT: The Panthers inactive players were quarterback Jimmy Clausen, receiver David Gettis, Stewart, cornerback James Dockery, linebacker Doug Hogue, tackle Bruce Campbell and defensive end Antwan Applewhite.

   The Chiefs inactive players were quarterback Ricky Stanzi, receivers Steve Breaston and Devon Wylie, safety Kendrick Lewis, center Bryan Mattison, offensive lineman Hayworth Hicks and defensive lineman Jerrell Powe.

 Observations

    Before the national anthem, the Chiefs had a moment of silence for the victims of domestic violence.

  • The Panthers called heads in the pre-game coin toss, based on a fan vote. The result was tails, leaving the Panthers 0-13 on pre-game coin tosses this season. 

   If you're wondering, the odds are 1 in 8,192 of such a streak happening.

  •  Arrowhead Stadium was approximately half full on a gorgeous 65-degree Sunday. Given the two teams entered Sunday with four victories between them and the backdrop of what happened Saturday, the small crowd was hardly a surprise.

By the numbers

   1 Total number of penalties and turnovers the Chiefs had Sunday (a delay of game call).

   3 Number of NFL seasons since Brady Quinn had thrown a touchdown pass before he threw two Sunday.

  70 Days since the Chiefs last won a game.

  14:26 Time of possession advantage the Chiefs had over the Panthers.

   120 Receiving yards for Steve Smith, who had five receptions.

Quotes

 •     "Can't really say much about it. We need to step it up and change something, myself included." -- Defensive end Greg Hardy.

 •   "When you win, you have to build on a win. We didn't do a good job of stopping the run last week and that was kind of the thing this week. When Atlanta comes in (Sunday), we have to make sure our first priority is stopping the run." -- Linebacker Luke Kuechly.

•    "I thought the right thing for us to do was play if the players and coaching staff wanted to play." -- Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt.

•    "(It's) one of those things where you think it's a bad dream and you wake up and it's still there." -- Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson on the events surrounding his team.