Everson and company harassed league MVP Cam Newton all game, registering eight sacks, three interceptions and a safety to help Minnesota beat the Carolina Panthers 22-10 Sunday and improve to 3-0 for the first time since Brett Favre was playing quarterback back in 2009. The Vikings showed that last week's win over the Green Bay Packers was no fluke, completely shutting down the NFL's highest-scoring offense from a year ago. The Vikings have allowed just 43 combined points in three games against the Titans, Packers and Panthers. The Vikings normally bring a lot of blitzes and pressure, but on Sunday coach Mike Zimmer backed off some, relying more on his defensive backs to shutdown Carolina's taller receivers. The Vikings pitched a shutout after falling behind 10-0, holding wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess without a reception. [...] once we were able to stop the run, it was a lot easier to do that. Because we played the run good, we were able to do that and it allowed the guys to get after the quarterback.