Newton gets back to winning
Cam Newton wore a black hat with a white button on the left side to honor Rosie the Riveter before and after showing he was very focused on football.
The embattled quarterback threw three touchdown passes through three quarters, helping the Carolina Panthers build a lead big enough to hold off the host Detroit Lions for a 27-24 win Sunday.
Newton came under fire for making sexist comments to a female reporter last week. He apologized after losing an endorsement deal and getting criticized by the NFL.
The 2015 NFL MVP said he put Rosie the Riveter, flexing her right arm, on his hat after doing homework to learn her iconic impact on World War II.
“I just wanted to have a little notion, a shout-out, to all the strong women,” Newton said.
He was 26-of-33 passing for a season-high 335 yards. On perhaps the game’s key play, he converted a 3rd-and-9 from the Carolina 24 with a sharp, 17-yard pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 2:00 left while clinging to a threepoint lead against a team out of timeouts.
Newton threw a 6-yard TD pass to rookie Christian McCaffrey to pull the Panthers into a 10-10 tie early in the second quarter and a 10-yard pass to Devin Funchess for a tie-breaking score with 48 seconds left in the first half. With a perfectly lofted 31-yard pass to Benjamin, Newton put Carolina up 24-10 early in the third.
The Panthers (4-1) scored 24 straight points after trailing the Lions 10-3 early in the second quarter. Detroit rallied, but could not stop Newton on his last drive to get the ball back.
Detroit (3-2) struggled to move the ball in the air and on the ground until late in the game.
Chiefs 42, Texans 34:
Alex Smith threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns to help Kansas City remain undefeated with a victory over host Houston in a game in which J.J. Watt broke his left leg. Deshaun Watson’s 48-yard touchdown pass got the Texans within six points early in the fourth quarter before Smith extended the lead for Kansas City (5-0) to 32-20 on a 10-yard scoring pass to De’Anthony Thomas with about 9 minutes left. Tyreek Hill padded the lead when he returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. Watt, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, was injured in the first quarter and the team announced that he suffered a tibial plateau fracture, but didn’t provide any details on how long he’ll be out. The defensive end returned this season after missing the last 13 games last season after his second back surgery.
Eagles 34, Cardinals 7:
Carson Wentz threw a Philadelphia career-best (4-1)four touchdowncontinued its passes impressiveand host start. Wentz tossed three scoring passes in the first quarter, including 59 yards to Torrey Smith, 11 yards to Zach Ertz and 15 yards to Trey Burton. He connected with Nelson Agholor for a 72-yard TD in the third quarter that left six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson shouting on the sideline. Carson Palmer and Arizona’s one-dimensional offense were held to 279 yards. The Cardinals (2-3) have alternated losses and wins since Week 1. Wentz torched a secondary that features Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, finishing 21-of-30 for 304 yards. Peterson held Alshon Jeffery to three catches for 31 yards, but Wentz spread the ball around.
Dolphins 16, Titans 10:
Jay Cutler finally silenced the boobirds with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass, and host Miami (2-2) overcame another dismal offensive showing. The jeers started in the first quarter of the Dolphins’ home debut, and soon the crowd was chanting for backup quarterback Matt Moore. But coach Adam Gase stuck with Cutler, who capped a 58-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry for the tiebreaking score. Tennessee (2-3) played without quarterback Marcus Mariota, who was inactive because of a left hamstring injury suffered a week ago. Replacement Matt Cassel went 21-of-32 for 141 yards and was sacked six times. Miami came in ranked last in the NFL in points and yards per game, and struggled against a Titans team that allowed 57 points against Houston a week ago.
Bengals 20, Bills 16:
A.J. Green had a hand in three turnovers that kept it close, but the receiver also pulled off a 77-yard touchdown and another long catch that set up a score for host Cincinnati. After losing their first three games, the Bengals (2-3) have salvaged their season by getting the ball to their playmakers at decisive moments. Green’s 47-yard catch set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Joe Mixon that put Cincinnati ahead to stay in the fourth quarter. Buffalo (3-2) got off to an encouraging start by relying heavily on kicker Stephen Hauschka and a defense that led the league, allowing only 13.5 points per game in the first four. The combination wasn’t enough this time. Buffalo’s depleted offense couldn’t take advantage of Cincinnati’s three turnovers. Tyrod Taylor’s off-target pass was picked off near midfield with 2:14 left, clinching it for Cincinnati. Taylor finished 20-of-37 for 166 yards and was sacked six times.
Jets 17, Browns 14:
Josh McCown came back to throwingNewwho Cleveland benchedYork two (3-2) and touchdownrookieover beat the quarterbackthe winless passesteam that Brownsand DeShonecut leadinghim, (0-5), Kizer McCown and wentfell to 1-10 1-20 in undertwo seasonscoach Hueas a Jackson.starter for the Browns, who released him Feb. 7 in a cost-cutting move. The 38-year-old wasn’t seeking revenge, but he got it with two secondhalf scoring tosses. McCown threw a 2-yard TD pass to Austin Seferian-Jenkins in the third quarter and a 24-yarder to Jermaine Kearse in the fourth to give the Jets (3-2) a 17-7 lead en route to their third straight victory.