WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington converted two of three first half Panthers turnovers into points to beat Carolina 23-17 Sunday.
- Carolina’s end of the game drive came up empty as quarterback Cam Newton threw incomplete on 4th and five at the Washington 16-yard line
- The Panthers got as close as three after Newton threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Torrey Smith in the fourth quarter
- The Panthers travel to Philadelphia next Sunday to play the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles
Unlike last week against the Giants, Carolina’s end of the game drive came up empty as quarterback Cam Newton threw incomplete on 4th and five at the Washington 16-yard line, turning the ball over on downs with 38 seconds to play.
Washington got on the board in the first quarter after a recovering a fumble by rookie D.J. Moore on a punt at the Panthers 21-yard line. The very next play, Alex Smith threw 22-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis for a 7-0 lead.
It was 14-0 in the second quarter when Moore fumbled again after making a reception for 17 yards that was recovered by former Panther Josh Norman, who also had an interception. Moore’s second fumble led to a Washington field goal and a 17-0 lead.
“You turn the football over that way, it’s going to be tough to win the football game,” said Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera. “They took advantage of a couple of mistakes we made and it cost us at the end.”
The Panthers got as close as three after Newton (20 of 40, 275 yards, 2 TD, INT) threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Torrey Smith in the fourth quarter. The subsequent two-point conversion cut the deficit to 20-17 with 8:42 left in the game.
But Washington answered with a 29-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins and their defense held late to preserve the 23-17 victory.
Carolina falls to 3-2 on the season (second in the NFC South Division) and travel to Philadelphia next Sunday to play the defending Super Bowl Champion Eagles.