The Facts: Following up on a previous item. ... Stewart has a severely sprained knee. He will be reassessed on Friday.

Diehards Line: It seems safe to assume Stewart will miss at least a month, but we'll follow up. ... Meanwhile, Mike Tolbert, sporting crutches and a knee brace, will miss Sunday's game with a hairline fracture in his right leg. The fullback is week to week, per HC Ron Rivera. ... DeAngelo Williams is expected to return this week, but the Panthers, having already signed tailback Darrin Reaves from the practice squad over the weekend, will have to evaluate whether to add more depth this week. Buried by an offensive line that has yet to open clear lanes, Carolina's ground attack ranks 29th in the league, averaging just 72.3 yards per game. They failed to take advantage of a Steelers defense that was among the league's most generous entering Week 3. The backfield mess is especially disconcerting because the running game did the heavy lifting on offense last year, clearing 100 yards in 14 of 16 regular-season games.