CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Pittsburgh Steelers showed patience, and then the pounding finally paid off.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two third-quarter touchdown passes to wide receiver Antonio Brown, and the Steelers used a key play on special teams to ward off the Carolina Panthers 37-19 Sunday night at Bank of America Stadium.

“We came in with a game plan, and we stuck to that,” said Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who gained 147 yards on 21 carries. “Eventually we were going to pop one. We made adjustments, but we continued with that game plan.”

The Steelers rolled up 264 rushing yards against a normally stout defense.

“Too many rushing yards to give up,” Panthers defensive end Wes Horton said. “That’s not very characteristic of us.”

Both teams are 2-1.

The Panthers’ eight-game, regular-season home winning streak ended, with hundreds of towel-waving Steelers fans in the crowd dominating the scene in the waning minutes.

In addition to Bell’s ground gains, Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount scored the team’s last touchdown on an 8-yard run, and he finished with 118 yards on 10 attempts.

“We came out here and knew what we needed to do with our running game, and we got that done,” Blount said. “I knew I was going to come in (and needed to produce).”

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said: “We had the opportunity, and (the running backs) showed what they’re capable of. I don’t think we have any doubts about what that tandem is capable of in terms of running the football.”

Roethlisberger completed 22 of 30 passes for 196 yards with no interceptions. All three of the quarterback’s touchdown passes this season went to Brown.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was 24-for-35 for 250 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He didn’t play the last series.

“At times we flashed, but more times we just looked out of sync,” Newton said. “My hat goes off to the Steelers with their preparation going into this.”

A third-quarter turnover set up the game’s first touchdown and helped Pittsburgh pull away.

Linebacker Jarvis Jones’ sack of Newton dislodged the ball, and linebacker Jason Worilds recovered at the Carolina 17.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re more consistent,” Carolina center Ryan Kalil said, bemoaning the offensive line’s protection. “When we need it most, on third downs, we’ve got to do a better job.”

The Steelers appeared to be headed toward their fourth field goal, but the Panthers jumped offside. On the next play, Roethlisberger hit Brown with a 7-yard touchdown toss.

Roethlisberger and Brown connected on another 7-yard touchdown play with 2:22 to go in the third quarter. That came after Bell’s 81-yard dash on a second-and-22 play altered the landscape. The score put Pittsburgh ahead 23-6.

What the Steelers said:

“In all three phases, we went out there and played Steeler football and came out with the win.” — Running back Le’Veon Bell.

What the Panthers said:

“In was very quiet, you could hear a pin drop (in the locker room). But we lose as a team and we win as a team. We are going to watch the film and get better. Everybody made mistakes” — Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin.

What we learned about the Steelers

1. Pittsburgh is capable of displaying patience on offense. After missing out on some good scoring opportunities early in the game, the Steelers showed a level of maturity by not becoming too greedy. “It was going to be tough coming here, playing this team, especially this defense,” QB Ben Roethlisberger said. The Steelers racked up a lead with a trio of field goals and then finally converted in the red zone. “They hung together,” coach Mike Tomlin said of his players. “They went into a hostile environment against a good group. There’s a lot to be learned from that and a lot to be gained.”

2. The Steelers have enough in reserve in the secondary to withstand at least some temporary setbacks in terms of injuries. How that translates in the big picture will play out in the coming weeks because cornerback Ike Taylor went out with a broken forearm, and linebacker Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Shazier (knee) also exited after getting hurt. “We had some guys go down with significant injuries in this game,” coach Mike Tomlin said.

–WR Antonio Brown has all three of the Steelers’ touchdown receptions this season. “Sometimes you just get the ball in his hands and let him do the rest,” QB Ben Roethlisberger said. “His hands and his feet are impeccable. He can do some amazing things.” Brown has 296 receiving yards across the first three games, including 90 on 10 catches Sunday night.

–RB Le’Veon Bell rushed for 147 yards on 21 carries against Carolina. Coupled with RB LeGarrette Blount gaining 118 yards on 10 carries, the Steelers had two players reach 100 rushing yards in the same game for the first time in 28 years.

–CB Ike Taylor is one of the most experienced members of the Steelers, but the broken forearm he sustained in the loss to Carolina threatens to end his season. While making a tackle, he was drilled by Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons, and many of their teammates realized right away the potential severity of the injury.

What we learned about the Panthers

1. Carolina is unable to run the ball with any regularity, and that puts pressure on the passing attack. Three games into the season, the Panthers do not have a back with 100 rushing yards on the year. By the second half of the Pittsburgh game, the Panthers pretty much abandoned the rushing attack, and that was yet another sign that they haven’t figured out the ground game yet. “We didn’t block good enough, all of us,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “It’s pretty simple.”

2. Quarterback Cam Newton doesn’t have quite the mobility — or the inclination to use his swiftness — as he comes off a preseason rib injury that caused him to sit out the opener. He never missed a game in his first three seasons, in part because of his ability to avoid clean hits. He seemed more prone to absorb some shots against the Steelers, and if his scrambling abilities are limited, that makes him an easier target for defenses. He was sacked three times and pressured numerous other times by the Steelers.

–RB Jonathan Stewart went out with a right knee contusion in the second half, adding another blow to the Carolina backfield that already was without RB DeAngelo Williams. Stewart led the Panthers with 31 rushing yards on five carries against Pittsburgh.

–LB Luke Kuechly continues to rack up tackles. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year made 14 stops against Pittsburgh. That was three more than he registered the week before against Detroit.

–LB Thomas Davis left with a fourth-quarter injury, though there were unanswered questions about the veteran leader’s status. Davis, who is in his 10th season, had one of the four tackles for losses that Carolina defenders recorded against Pittsburgh.