Even after resting five NSW State of Origin stars and also being without injured Blues playmaker Nathan Cleary, the premiers had far too much class and strike power for the Knights on Saturday.
Stats-wise, the Panthers played a perfect first half of football, delighting home fans with 21 from 21 completed sets before finally making an error in the 53rd minute.
Even that was questionable, with Spencer Leniu contentiously penalised for passing off the ground.
With calls growing for Brad Fittler to overhaul his series-beaten NSW Blues side for game three in Sydney, Dylan Edwards once again made his case to be Penrith's seventh Origin call-up this year with a points win over Kayln Ponga in their much-hyped fullback duel.
While Penrith needed two late Cleary field goals, including one in golden-point extra time, to get his side home 16-15 against the Knights in round seven, the Panthers were never really threatened without their superstars on deck.
"It was a terrific performance. I'm super proud," Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said.
"We made this decision a week ago so they all knew what was going on.
"The Origin boys knew too. We had a plan about how we were going to play and they all bought into that.
"And when that happens in an organisation, you tend not to make as many errors."
In sounding another ominous warning to their title rivals, the understrength Panthers leapfrogged Brisbane - temporarily at least - to return to the top of the table.
The Broncos host Gold Coast on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium in the Queensland derby.
Edwards leads the NRL for run metres and tackle busts so it was no surprise to see the stand-in captain strike first in his battle with Ponga, standing up his superstar opposite number to bag the first try in the ninth minute.
Not to be outdone, Ponga hit back to level the scores before two Tyrone Peachey tries in eight minutes shot the Panthers out to a 16-6 lead.
Interchange forward Jack Hetherington being sin-binned for a love tap on Penrith centre Izack Tago on the stroke of halftime didn't help Newcastle's cause.
The Panthers wasted little time before punishing the Knights for being a man down when Jaeman Salmon crossed from dummy-half early in the second half.
A Jackson Hastings try in the 54th minute offered Newcastle a glimmer of hope but Penrith didn't give the visitors another sniff, with only Jack Cogger's two missed conversions keeping the Knights within touch on the scoreboard.
"They were just relentless in what they do," Ponga said.
"They defend well, they kick well and play a simple game and do it for 80 minutes.
"Yeah, they just controlled that second half. It was hard for us to get out of our own end."
9°C