Even after blaming pressure and contact to his throwing arm for a costly interception in the first half, Cam Newton had the game on his shoulders in the final minute.<\/p>\n
Newton led the Carolina Panthers downfield and into the red zone before three consecutive incompletions ended their hopes in a 23-17 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday. It was a sour ending to an inconsistent day for Newton, who had two touchdown passes but also a costly interception , an almost fumble, and enough off-target passes to cost Carolina (3-2).<\/p>\n
“You have games and days like that,” said Newton, who was 27 of 40 for 275 yards passing. “My days of sobbing are over with. I’m excited for what the future holds. I hope we get to see this team again.”<\/p>\n
A chance to see the Redskins (3-2) again wouldn’t come until the playoffs, and it’s on Newton to get the Panthers there. He showed flashes of that potential at Washington, connecting on five passes, including a TD to Devin Funchess and executing a near-flawless scoring drive early in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
But Newton also needed a heads-up catch from left guard Greg Van Roten to avoid a potential fumble, and then gifted former teammate Josh Norman his first interception since 2016 when he lofted up a pass early in the second quarter.<\/p>\n
“You just got to protect the football better, and it starts with me,” Newton said. “Felt like we got everything and I just got pushed in the pocket and still tried to force it.”<\/p>\n
Despite up-and-down play, Newton had second-and-5 from the Washington 16-yard line with 47 seconds left and the chance to rally the Panthers to tie the biggest comeback in franchise history. He threw incomplete in the end zone to Christian McCaffrey and Funchess, and then couldn’t find Jarius Wright on a shorter route on fourth down.<\/p>\n
“We had some opportunities,” coach Ron Rivera said. “You make your breaks, and we didn’t get any breaks on those.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Read the rest here<\/span>.<\/p>\n And number two:<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to win games if you can\u2019t hang on to the ball; Carolina found that out the hard way Sunday.<\/p>\n The Panthers couldn\u2019t climb out of their hole after three first-half turnovers, losing to Washington 23-17.<\/p>\n For the second week in a row, the Panthers struggled against a team they probably should\u2019ve beaten, but there were no special teams heroics to bail them out on the road.<\/p>\n The NFL\u2019s best rushing team hardly looked like it as Washington controlled the line of scrimmage and capitalized on Carolina\u2019s mistakes.<\/p>\n Josh Norman:\u00a0<\/b>The reunion between the Panthers and Norman drew an expected amount of attention during the days leading up to Sunday\u2019s contest, but the Washington cornerback welcomed his old team to his new home with an interception and forced a fumble in the first half.<\/p>\n Torrey Smith:<\/b>\u00a0He didn\u2019t show up on the stat sheet through the game\u2019s first three-and-a-half quarters but caught four passes for 34 yards and a touchdown on the Panthers\u2019 first drive of the fourth quarter, capping the drive with a two-point conversion to bring the Panthers within 20-17.<\/p>\n Adrian Peterson:<\/b>\u00a0The former MVP turned back the clock Sunday, gashing Carolina\u2019s eighth-ranked rushing defense for 97 yards on 17 carries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\nPanthers dig a hole, can\u2019t climb out in road loss to Washington.<\/h1>\n
Three who mattered<\/h3>\n