National Football League

Newton, Panthers beat Redskins 33-20

Published Oct. 24, 2011 5:16 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Cam Newton was back to flashing that wide smile again, even celebrating by giving a line of high-fives to fans in the front row on his way to the locker-room tunnel.

For one week, the Carolina Panthers' rookie quarterback wouldn't have to sit at his locker and stew over every small play after a frustrating loss. And after the Panthers beat the Washington Redskins 33-20 on Sunday, Newton is hoping his team can follow its success with even more.

''There were times during that game where we had a lot of momentum,'' Newton said. ''Coach is always talking about, 'Claim what's ours.' No matter who comes into this stadium, we've got to set precedents that, hey, we have to raise the level of play and we can't go under that.

''We have to hold each other accountable and say, 'Look you know what you have to do.'''

Newton ran for a touchdown and threw for another in the second half for the Panthers (2-5), finishing with 256 yards passing and running for 59 more. His touchdown on a 16-yard keeper in the third quarter was his seventh rushing score of the season, tying a record for most TDs rushing by a rookie quarterback since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.

Jonathan Stewart also ran for a third-quarter touchdown as Carolina turned a 9-6 halftime lead into a 17-point margin by midway through the fourth quarter.

Carolina matched its win total of last season and has a chance to do a lot more considering the Panthers' next two games are at home against Minnesota and Tennessee, teams that didn't make the playoffs last season.

It wasn't an understatement to say Carolina needed this win. Four of its losses had come by a touchdown or less. Probably the worst moment came here two weeks ago, when the Panthers gave up the go-ahead touchdown to Drew Brees and the Saints with 50 seconds left in a loss that left Newton growing more frustrated by the day. After that game, Newton sat motionless for several minutes facing his locker, his head in his hands as he stared at the floor.

This time, Newton met reporters wearing a smile and even joked about hearing the ''Oooohs!'' from fans after taking a crushing hit on a blindside sack from Brian Orakpo in the first half.

He wasn't alone in that joyous feeling.

''It's big for us as a team,'' linebacker James Anderson said. ''We've been so close for so many games and everybody's saying, 'You're right there, you're right there, you're right there.' Now we've had an opportunity to go over the hump now. We've just got to build on it and keep getting better.''

Washington's John Beck threw for 279 yards and scored on a short keeper in his first start in four years, showing enough mobility to keep plays alive and buy time for his receivers. But he didn't get the Redskins (3-3) back to the end zone after his third-quarter keeper until they were down 30-13.

''It's hard to say, because winning is the only thing that matters,'' Beck said when asked about his performance as a starter again. ''That's the only thing I wanted to do out there. I wasn't going out there trying to be too perfect; my ultimate goal was to walk away having won the game. This is obviously not the feeling we wanted to have.''

It didn't help that Beck lost top receiver Santana Moss and tailback Tim Hightower to injuries, either.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Moss broke a bone in his left hand in the first half and is definitely out next week. As for Hightower - who got the start and had run for 88 yards on 17 carries - he hurt his left knee when it buckled during a 4-yard carry in the third quarter. He was helped off the field and eventually carted to the locker room from the sideline.

Shanahan said the severity of Hightower's injury is unclear.

Newton coolly led Carolina to three straight touchdown drives after halftime. He completed 18 of 23 passes in an efficient performance, with Steve Smith hauling in seven catches for 143 yards. In the fourth, Newton had an easy touchdown toss to Brandon LaFell that blew the game open.

More importantly, Newton didn't commit a turnover after throwing three interceptions in last week's loss at Atlanta.

''He did a great job with his feet,'' Shanahan said, ''he hung in the pocket, and made some throws you don't see many pros make, especially young players.''

Beck is a 30-year-old former BYU standout who earned the starting job after Rex Grossman threw four interceptions in last week's home loss to Philadelphia. He completed 22 of 37 passes and threw a late touchdown and interception after the game was out of reach.

It was his first start since December 2007 with the Miami Dolphins - and he remains winless in five career starts.

Notes: Newton's keeper tied the record set by Vince Young with Tennessee in 2006. He celebrated by giving the ball to a kid in the front row. ... Redskins linebacker London Fletcher left in the second half with a hamstring injury. ... Carolina's Olindo Mare had four field goals, including a 45-yarder just before halftime. ... The Panthers' 30-13 lead was their biggest since the end of the 2009 season. ... Carolina cornerback Chris Gamble's late interception of Beck tied him with Eric Davis for the franchise record with 25.

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League