THE LATEST: Newton second TD run puts Carolina up 34-7

The rout appears to be on in the NFC championship game.

MVP candidate Cam Newton scored his second rushing touchdown on the game on a 12-yard run, leaping into the end zone to give the Carolina Panthers a commanding 34-7 lead over the Arizona Cardinals with 2:08 left in the third quarter.

The Arizona Cardinals have turned the ball over four times in the first half — three by quarterback Carson Palmer — and trail the Carolina Panthers 24-7 at halftime of the NFC championship game.

The Panthers have announced that linebacker Thomas Davis (right arm) and safety Roman Harper (eye) will not return.

The Panthers took advantage of two Patrick Peterson mistakes and have opened a 24-7 lead against the Arizona Cardinals on a leaping 1-yard touchdown run by Cam Newton.

The Panthers scored five plays after Peterson muffed a punt near midfield and then was called for defensive holding on the next play from scrimmage to give Carolina a first down.

Running back David Johnson got the Arizona Cardinals on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter on a drive in which Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis left the game with a right arm injury.

Davis, who has had an exceptional game with six tackles — including two for a loss —headed to the sideline before the touchdown to get looked at by physicians.

[...] the Panthers are backing in scoring position at the two-minute warning.

Cam Newton hooked up with wide receiver Philly Brown on an 86-yard touchdown pass to give the Carolina Panthers a 17-0 lead with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.

Newton beat a blitz and fired over the middle for Brown, who caught the ball near midfield, eluded a tackle from safety Rashad Johnson and raced the final 50 yards to the end zone.

Thanks to a ferocious defense that hammered Tom Brady all day long, Manning and his Denver Broncos are Super Bowl-bound after a nail-biting 20-18 win over the defending Super Bowl cham