Redskins Leveled by Unbeaten Panthers

For all of those who were questioning Cam Newton and the Panthers’ undefeated start, I think it’s time you re-evaluate after one of the best pocket-passing performances of Newton’s career on Sunday.

The Panthers regained the lead with 41 seconds left in the opener quarter on running back Mike Tolbert’s 3-yard catch from Newton.

“I kind of messed up in some of the run game and I was dealing with staying focused and what position I was, so I was overthinking it”, said Funchess, whose strength – other than his size – is the ability to play all three receiver spots. Six of those teams won the Super Bowl.

The Redskins had a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Chris Culliver called back on the drive when officials ruled he had delivered an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit on Olsen before the interception. However, they are one of only two unbeaten teams in the National Football League and the first to win 10 games this season. Defensively, Carolina is allowing 19.1 points and 322.8 yards per game.

REDSKINS RUN GAME: The Panthers defense established a new franchise-record by holding the Redskins to 14 yards rushing on 12 carries.

“Between the fumbles and the picks, we had a couple short fields”, Olsen said. He and Oher played high school basketball together in Memphis and would play one-on-one games that got so heated their high school coach eventually had to call them off, according to the Charlotte Observer. “He might not even max out, but I know he’s striving for greatness, and if you can see that man, his confidence, it’s something”. What had been a tie game at the end of the first quarter was a 31-14 halftime lead.

“He wants every play to be a touchdown, and you love that competitive fire about him”, Gruden said. First, rookie running back Matt Jones-who shined last week with a 78-yard touchdown-had his fourth fumble of the season. Newton gained 246 yards through the air and tagged on 16 rushing yards.

Andre Roberts had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for the Redskins.

Newton is completing just 57 percent of his passes (the Bills’ Tyrod Taylor is connecting on a league-best 71 percent, by comparison), but Newton also is having to work with one of the league’s thinnest receiving corps that includes Ted Ginn Jr., Devin Funchess and former Jet Jerricho Cotchery. The Redskins, by the way, are now winless (0-5) on the road this season.

Gano added two more field goals against his former team and the Panthers took a safety deep in their own territory to hand Washington its only points of the second half.

“It’s an honor first (to play on Thanksgiving), but before everything else we’ve got to get guys mended up”, Newton said. The NFC East tourists were rude, dirty and clueless, its players pushing and shoving and throat-slashing at the Panthers and their fans, who just laughed at them.

IN relied on a pair of 40-plus veterans, and rallied from a pair of two-touchdown deficits, to beat slumping Atlanta 24-21.

While the final score ended up being just 32-21, the Redskins-Giants game Week 3 on Thursday Night Football really wasn’t all that close at times.

-RB Alfred Morris left early in the first quarter against the Panthers with a ribs injury. The Panthers’ once-susceptible rush defense has held two straight opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground.