Panthers stay unbeaten with win over Falcons

He finished with a career-high quarterback rating of 153.3, and the Panthers won their 17th straight regular-season game.

But they have to look for ways to keep starters healthy, as they did Sunday when Greg Olsen (knee) and Jonathan Stewart (foot) sat out the second half. Neither appeared to be seriously injured and both were standing on the sideline in uniform in the third quarter joking with teammates.

If Cam Newton wasn’t considered the front-runner for MVP before today, he certainly is now.

Their next game for the Panthers is next Sunday against the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The loss damaged the Bengals’ hopes of securing the top seed in the AFC, while the Steelers (8-5) moved closer to snaring a wild card.

Philadelphia scored the game-winning points on Caleb Stugis’ 30-yard field goal with 3:26 left to play, which was set up by a 41-yard catch-and-run by tight end Zach Ertz, who broke two tackles and stiff-armed another defender.

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.

While the Falcons have spent the last five weeks trying to figure out how a 5-0 season turned sour, the general public (and media as well) has laser-focused on offensive coordinator Shanahan.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three touchdown passes in the victory and New York’s defense stifled Titans’ rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota (mar-ee-OH’-tah).

– The Chiefs are still in the AFC playoff picture with a record of 8-5.

Chiefs 10, Chargers 3: Kansas City kept San Diego out of the end zone twice in the final seconds for its seventh win in a row.

NOTES: Carolina’s 260 total yards in the first quarter marked a franchise record for any quarter.

Jacksonville were emphatic 51-16 victors against Indianapolis and Seattle came out 35-6 winners over Baltimore.

Wilson went 23 for 32 for 292 yards.

– The Eagles maintained a share of the NFC lead along with the Redskins at 6-7 as they beat the Bills 23-20. Denver’s Brandon McManus, who nailed four field goals in the first half, clanked a 49-yarder that would have tied it off the left upright with 10:22 remaining, however.

The Browns snapped a seven-game losing streak. The Niners are also in the midst of a bad season with just four wins against nine defeats. The oft-controversial player, who has vowed to fit in with the Carolina team, made two tackles.

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.

PACKERS 28, COWBOYS 7 (at Green Bay, Wis.) – Eddie Lacy ran for 124 yards and a touchdown, while fellow running back James Starks added two scores.

New England Patriots (11-2) 27 Houston Texans (6-7) 6: Brian Hoyer was destroyed by the Patriots while Tom Brady enjoyed the simpler, less risky gameplan and mostly having Rob Gronkowski on the field next to him. The usually reliable Gould, who missed the potential victor at the end of regulation in last week’s overtime loss to San Francisco, got a chance to redeem himself. Something you’ve been watching since I first start playing the game at the age of seven.

Derek Anderson came in to relieve Cam Newton for one play with the 1’s and he threw a completion.