Panthers win, but lose starting CB Benwikere for stretch run

Quarterback Cam Newton threw three touchdowns, running back Jonathan Stewart scampered for 75 yards and the Panthers defense locked down a stagnant Atlanta Falcons offense en route to a 38-0 victory at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.

The Carolina Panthers are closer to home field advantage in the NFC after shutting out the Atlanta Falcons, the New England Patriots get back on the winning horse after a whooping of the Houston Texans while the Cincinnati Bengals lose both their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and their starting quarterback, while the Denver Broncos realize it’s not all sunshine and roses with Brock Osweiler at quarterback, losing to the Oakland Raiders.

Carolina dominated the opening quarter as running back Jonathan Stewart ran in a one-yard touchdown before Newton connected twice with wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr who ran in from 74 and 46 yards respectively.

Manziel, banished to the bench two weeks ago for lying to the team about partying, threw for 270 yards on 21-of-31 passing and one touchdown and one interception for Cleveland (3-10) as the 49ers slipped to 4-9.

Carolina’s defense forced four turnovers and had five sacks against a struggling Falcons outfit which has slipped from a 6-1 win-loss record to 6-7.

Atlanta (6-7) lost its sixth game in a row, further damaging remote chances to reach the playoffs.

CHICAGO – Kirk Cousins threw for 300 yards and a touchdown and the Redskins hung on to beat the Bears after Chicago’s Robbie Gould missed yet another late field goal. Atlanta’s longest pass play through the first three quarters went for 14 yards.

Alex Smith threw for 191 yards and a touchdown, along with his first interception after a franchise-record 312 attempts. The Eagles (6-7) and Redskins (6-7) are tied atop the NFC East standings with the Giants (5-7) playing in Miami tonight. Blake Bortles led the way for the Jags as he threw for three touchdowns and ran for a score.

His injury, and a concussion that knocked tight end Tyler Eifert out of the game, were a blow to a Bengals team that failed to clinch the AFC North division title. He was targeted seven times which second-most on the team.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three first-half touchdown passes and NY remained in the thick of the AFC wild card race by cruising past Tennessee.

SAINTS 24, BUCCANEERS 17: In Tampa, Florida, Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes to Marques Colston as New Orleans stopped a four-game losing streak. Atlanta’s inability to stop the run has played a big role in the slide, too, as it has allowed an average of 136.2 rushing yards per game during its five-game skid. The win snapped a nine-game road losing streak for the ‘Skins. Isaiah Crowell rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns for the home team. The Rams held Detroit’s Calvin Johnson to a late 16-yard catch, and Aaron Donald had three sacks of Matthew Stafford.