Cam Newton's 3 TD passes help Panthers beat Lions 27-24
DETROIT -- Cam Newton showed he was very focused on football, throwing three touchdowns to help the Carolina Panthers build a lead big enough to hold off the Detroit Lions for a 27-24 win Sunday.
The Panthers (4-1) scored 24 straight points after trailing the Lions 10-3 early in the second quarter. Detroit rallied, but could not stop Newton on his last drive to get the ball back.
Newton came under fire for making sexist comments to a female reporter this week. He apologized after losing an endorsement deal and getting criticized by the NFL.
He was 26 of 33 for a season-high 335 yards. On perhaps the game's key play, he converted a third-and-19 from the Carolina 24 with a sharp, 17-yard pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 2:00 left while clinging to a three-point lead against a team out of timeouts.
Newton threw a 6-yard TD pass to rookie Christian McCaffrey to pull the Panthers into a 10-10 tie early in the second quarter and a 10-yard pass to Devin Funchess for a tiebreaking score with 48 seconds left in the first half. With a perfectly lofted 31-yard pass to Benjamin, the 2015 NFL MVP put Carolina up 24-10 early in the third.
Detroit (3-2) struggled to move the ball in the air and on the ground until late in the game.
Matthew Stafford, limping after being sacked several times and hit on other plays, threw a 4-yard TD pass to Darren Fells with 5:56 left and a 20-yard pass for a score to the former professional basketball player with 3:22 to go.
TAKING A BREAK
Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue was not working in the Ford Field press box during the Panthers-Detroit Lions game.
"Taking some time off," Mike Persinger, the executive sports editor of The Charlotte Observer, wrote in an email.
Rodrigue asked Cam Newton about wide receiver Devin Funchess' route running on Wednesday and Carolina's quarterback laughed and said, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes. It's funny."
INJURIES
Panthers: Cornerback Daryl Worley had an ankle injury.
Lions: Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata had an elbow injury.
UP NEXT
Panthers: Host Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Lions: Play at New Orleans next Sunday.
---
For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL
Noticias - NFL
Bears unveil $5B proposal for new domed lakefront stadium
The Chicago Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion proposal Wednesday for an enclosed stadium next door to their current home at Soldier Field as part of a major project that would transform the city's lakefront.
NFL fifth-year option tracker: 2021 first-round draft class
The May 2 deadline is approaching for teams to pick up fifth-year options on rookie contracts. Which teams have made a decision?
Highest-paid NFL players: Tracking most money guaranteed per year at every position
We have seen a fair share of massive contracts in the NFL. So who tops the highest-paid list at every position as of today?
Pete Thamel tells McAfee how Reggie Bush got his Heisman Trophy back
Pete Thamel explains to Pat McAfee how Reggie Bush got his Heisman Trophy reinstated on a historic day for USC.
Kris Abrams-Draine's NFL draft profile
Check out some of the top highlights from Missouri CB Kris Abrams-Draine.
Brandon Coleman's NFL draft profile
Check out some of the top highlights from TCU OG Brandon Coleman.
Posiciones NFC Sur 2023
EQUIPO | O | P | E | % | PC | A |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 348 | 325 |
New Orleans | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 402 | 327 |
Atlanta | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 321 | 373 |
Carolina | 2 | 15 | 0 | .118 | 236 | 416 |
Posiciones NFC Norte 2023
EQUIPO | O | P | E | % | PC | A |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Detroit | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 461 | 395 |
Green Bay | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 383 | 350 |
Minnesota | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 344 | 362 |
Chicago | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 360 | 379 |