Cam Newton kept Josh Norman quiet in the Panthers’ 26-15 win over Washington

The Carolina Panthers (6-8) defeated Washington (7-6-1) 26-15 during a Week 15 matchup on Monday Night Football at FedEx Field. Cam Newton was in MVP form, but unfortunately for the Panthers, it came about six weeks too late.

The much-heralded rematch with former Panthers cornerback Josh Norman didn’t exactly live up to the billing either. Newton had modest success passing against his former teammate, but he mostly avoided him.

And it wouldn’t be a primetime NFL game featuring Newton and the Panthers if there weren’t some referee controversy.

Carolina Panther quarterback Cam Newton used his arm and legs to make plays. He had time in the pocket to survey the field and make decisions. When the pocket collapsed, the veteran signal-caller scrambled out of the pocket to extend plays and pick up yards.

Late in the first quarter, Newton orchestrated an eight-play, 84-yard drive and capped it off with a 30-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ted Ginn Jr. Newton stood in a clean pocket, surveyed the field, and found Ginn in the end zone. Carolina took a 10-3 lead.

You have to give credit to the Panthers offensive line. That unit gave Newton a lot of time in the pocket. He finished the game 21-of-37 passing, with 300 passing yards and two touchdowns.

The matchup with Josh Norman didn’t quite live up to the billing, but Newton did end up getting the better of him. Carolina’s quarterback only threw in Norman’s direction five times. The former Panthers corner allowed three catches for 32 yards. Two of those were first downs totaling 28 yards. He also missed a pair of tackles and had one pass breakup that could have been an interception.

Newton’s game was marred by another helmet-to-helmet hit that the referees missed. Washington’s Trent Murphy hit him while he was sliding. Referee Walt Coleman said that he didn’t see the helmet contact, only a defender hitting the quarterback on a late slide, which is legal.

Instead of Murphy getting a flag, Newton got one for taunting. Frustrated, he got up after the play and flung the ball at Murphy, which is illegal.

Coleman was the same ref from the Week 8 game where Newton complained to the media about the officials’ double standard for physical quarterbacks like himself not getting the same calls as their counterparts.

He made a couple of great throws in this game, but quarterback Kirk Cousins did not do enough to help Washington walk away with a victory. He made a lot of errant throws and committed back-breaking turnovers.

Late in the first quarter, Cousins threw an interception to safety Kurt Coleman. That turnover led to a 23-yard field goal kick by Panthers kicker Graham Gano to increase the Panthers’ lead to 13-3.

On Washington’s first play of the second half, Panthers defensive end Wes Horton hit Cousins and forced a fumble. Horton also recovered the fumble at Washington’s 5-yard line and returned to Washington’s 1-yard line. A few plays later, Newton threw a 1-yard touchdown to fullback Mike Tolbert, which extended Carolina’s lead to 20-9.

Cousins threw for 315 yards and one interception.

Even though Washington has Josh Norman, one of the best cornerbacks in the league, this defensive backfield surrendered too many big plays. On Newton’s first pass attempt of the game, he threw a 31-yard pass to tight end Greg Olsen. Following that play, the veteran quarterback threw an 18-yard pass to Ginn.

Newton kept attacking Washington’s secondary and had a lot of success. This defensive backfield did not have an answer for Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, who finished the game with six catches for 85 yards.

Whether he bounced runs to the outside or ran up the middle, Washington’s defense could not stop Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart. The veteran running back kept churning his legs to gain extra yards, and it took a couple of defenders to bring him down.

Even though Stewart is a big man, he showed some athleticism during an 11-yard run in the second quarter. He leaped over Norman to pick up a first down. The Panthers’ offensive line did a great of creating rushing lanes. Stewart finished the game with 132 rushing yards on 25 carries.

Washington will travel to the Windy City for a Week 16 matchup against the Chicago Bears. Washington needs its defensive backs to step up. If this team wants to clinch a Wild Card spot in the NFC, the secondary must play better. Because of this loss, the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now ahead of Washington for the last playoff spot in the NFC.

Carolina will head back home for a Week 16 matchup against a divisional foe in the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers did a great job of playing stellar defense and running the football. They must continue to use that formula.