Cam Newton and Panthers pulverize the Redskins

“They all count…whether you lose 44-16 or win [47] to 14 like we did last week”.

Washington’s loss comes one week after a 47-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints. The Redskins (4-6) have turned the ball over 14 times in five road losses this season.

DiMarco came into the game with only one TD in his four-year career – a 1-yard scoring catch against Minnesota last season.

It was a great capper to a week that saw much discussion about his love of dancing after touchdowns and celebrating first downs, discussion touched off by an “open letter” to Newton written by a Nashville mother who claimed to have been offended that her 9-year old daughter was subjected to Newton’s dancing when he scored against the Titans (but she apparently had no issue with Tennessee players dancing when they sacked Newton). “We’ve got to get better”. “We’ve got to figure it out”.

The Redskins got manhandled by Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, losing 44-16 in Charlotte.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton threw for a franchise-record five touchdowns, connecting with different receivers on each occasion. With six games left in the regular season, the Panthers have at least a two-game lead over the nearest NFC team and a four-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South. Six of those teams won the Super Bowl.

Newton, who improved to 3-0 as a starter vs. the Redskins, threw a franchise-record four first-half touchdown passes.

A potential interception for a touchdown by Washington’s Chris Culliver was called back for unnecessary roughness penalty for going to Greg Olsen’s head to jar the ball loose.

“Between the fumbles and the picks, we had a couple short fields”, Olsen said. He runs very hard, and he wants every play to be a touchdown.

BIG RETURN: The Panthers still have a few flaws, particular on special teams where they allowed a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Washington left tackle Trent Williams left the game with a knee contusion and did not return, and tight end Jordan Reed sprained his MCL but finished out the game.

“That’s a 14-point turn right there”, Redskins Coach Jay Gruden said. “The referee made a decision, made a call, and it’s not challengeable, so there’s really no use talking about it”. They also forced three fumbles, including one in which Luke Kuechly jarred the ball away from rookie Matt Jones.

Though his completion percentage is never going to make anyone think of Drew Brees, Cam has thrown 26 TDs in his 13 games (helped by a career-high five on Sunday), which would put him on pace for 32 TDs stretched out over 16 games. Washington’s last 2 points came on a safety when Carolina’s punter stepped out of the end zone with less than 20 seconds to play. The Panthers quarterback got things started with a 12-yard touchdown pass to running back Jonathan Stewart. When the game is on the line the Panthers have responded regardless of who the opponent has been.

The leading receiver in team history has been almost invisible this season, coming into Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts having been targeted only 30 times, with a mere 17 receptions. Rawls became the first Seahawks running back since Shaun Alexander in 2006 to rush for more than 200 yards in a game.