Clausen fumbles away first possession

Panthers rookie Jimmy Clausen did not have a good first possession on his inaugural NFL start.

Presented with a short field after Captain Munnerlyn intercepted a pass on the Bengals' third play, Clausen quickly got Carolina to the 25 thanks to a 26-yard run from DeAngelo Williams.

Then Clausen fumbled a snap, however, and Cincinnati recovered. The field is slick and the ball is wet and it's raining hard right now, but it was still a tough way to get started.