CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -The Carolina Panthers are 0-2 when Steve Smith doesn't play, 2-0 when he does.

The All-Pro receiver is healthy for the third straight week and Cleveland's cornerbacks are not, troubling news for the Browns as they travel to Carolina on Sunday.

``Whether the secondary is banged up or not, he still presents those same problems because he's going to catch the ball,'' Browns coach Romeo Crennel said. ``He's going to run very well after the catch, so you're going to have to cover him. You can cover him with one, sometimes maybe two, and sometimes that's not enough.''

Smith, who led the NFL with 103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, sat out the first two games with a strained right hamstring. The Panthers managed just one touchdown in losses to Atlanta and Minnesota.

Smith returned against Tampa Bay, and had seven catches for 112 yards in Carolina's 26-24 win.

Last Sunday, Smith and the Panthers' offense got off to a slow start, but Smith had three catches for 35 yards on a 91-yard fourth-quarter touchdown drive that put Carolina ahead to stay. Smith finished with 10 catches for 87 yards in the 21-18 win over New Orleans.

Smith, who missed almost all of training camp with a strained left hamstring, practiced without pain in either leg this week as Carolina (2-2) looks to win its third straight game.

``I'm healthy. I'm fine and that's all that matters,'' Smith said.

The Browns (1-3) are not, despite rallying from an 18-point deficit to win their first game of the season last Sunday, 24-21 over Oakland. Cleveland, already without cornerback Gary Baxter due to an injured chest muscle, lost its other starting cornerback when Leigh Bodden rolled his ankle.

Backups Daven Holly, Ralph Brown and Antonio Perkins combined to shut down first-time starting quarterback Andrew Walter. But the Raiders are winless and have the league's bottom-ranked offense. The task will be much tougher for the Browns on Sunday, especially if Baxter and Bodden - both listed as questionable - don't play in Cleveland's first trip to Carolina.

``We are going to line up and play like we did last week,'' said Holly, signed just before the start of training camp. ``(Randy) Moss had one catch for 5 yards, so we can continue to do the same thing because we have a solid secondary.''

Smith, who has acknowledged he's not 100 percent yet, has taken advantage of new teammate Keyshawn Johnson. No longer a one-man show in the passing game, Smith has found things a little less crowded.

Johnson, who last Sunday became the 26th receiver to go over 10,000 yards receiving, said he's noticed the difference with Smith in the lineup.

``The one thing that I do know that he brings is, if he gets the football, he's going to scare somebody,'' Johnson said. ``If you double me, I'm going to still eat you. If you leave me, I'm going to kill you even more. And if he gets the opportunity, he's going to kill you, too.''

Crennel knows that's the main obstacle standing in the way of the Browns winning two in a row for the first time since 1993.

``You're going to have to try to slow (Smith) down,'' Crennel said. ``The problem there is that when you take him away you throw the ball to Keyshawn, who catches the ball very well. It makes it difficult to defend everybody because you can't double everybody.''

The best bet for the Browns may be to get their offense going behind Reuben Droughns, who two years ago against Carolina had a coming-out party while with Denver, rushing for a career-high 193 yards.

``It was one of my best memories in the NFL,'' Droughns said.

The Panthers, who gave up 252 yards rushing to Atlanta in the season opener, held the Saints to 63 yards on the ground last week despite being without middle linebacker Dan Morgan. He'll miss his fourth straight game Sunday due to lingering effects of a concussion.

Charlie Frye, who threw three touchdown passes in the comeback win in Oakland, got help from the Browns' special teams. Joshua Cribbs had kickoff returns of 65 and 53 yards and Dennis Northcutt had a 58-yard punt return.

``Their special teams are very good. Dennis Northcutt is one of the biggest tests will get as a punt returner all season,'' Panthers coach John Fox said.

The Panthers got their running game going against the Saints as DeShaun Foster rushed for 105 yards behind a banged-up but improving offensive line. Center Justin Hartwig could return after missing three games with a groin injury.

But the Panthers might test the Browns secondary right away by going to their favorite play with Smith, the quick pass along the line of scrimmage that forces opposing coaches to make a decision.

``Because of his speed and his ability to run after the catch, it's hard to defend those kind of passes,'' Crennel said. ``The way you would defend them is to be on him man-to-man. The thing about being on him man-to-man is that now he can run by you for the deep one. You've got to make a choice.''

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