Panthers stand firm, Patriots lose second straight
The New England Patriots failed to hold onto a first half lead and were upset by Philadelphia, while the Carolina Panthers survived a scare from New Orleans to stay perfect at 12-0.
Quarterback Cam Newton threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jerricho Cotchery with 1:05 left to lift the unbeaten Panthers to a 41-38 comeback victory over the Saints on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Philadelphia Eagles rallied from a 14-0 deficit, scoring 35 consecutive points for a thrilling 35-28 win over Tom Brady's Patriots, who have now lost back-to-back games.
Newton completed 28-of-41 passes for 331 yards for the Panthers who became the 10th team in NFL history to begin the season 12-0.
"It feels great," said Newton who threw five touchdown passes. "We knew it wasn't going to be a cakewalk.
"It wasn't pretty. We didn't start off fast like we wanted, but at the end of the day we knew we had a team full or resilient guys and we knew how to finish."
Newton drove the Panthers 75 yards in 11 plays for the game-winning score. The Panthers converted a fourth-and-four when Newton scrambled to his left and tossed a short pass to tight end Greg Olsen.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw three touchdown passes and Mark Ingram ran nine yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 5:21 left, but that just set the stage for Newton's heroics.
The Panthers turned the ball over three times in the first half and trailed 16-13 heading into the third quarter.
In Foxborough, quarterback Brady led the Patriots to two late touchdowns, the second with three minutes left.
Philadelphia wide receiver Riley Cooper batted the ensuing onside kick out of bounds and then caught a 14-yard pass from Sam Bradford on third-and-11, seemingly allowing the Eagles to run out the clock.
However, running back Darren Sproles fumbled the ball back to New England at its 25. The Patriots failed to take advantage and could move only 12 yards before a pair of dropped passes helped end the host Patriots' chances.
The Eagles improved to 5-7 and moved into a tie for second place in the NFC East, a half-game behind the Washington Redskins, who play the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
The Patriots (10-2) dropped their second game in a row and fell into a tie with the Denver Broncos for the best record in the AFC.
- Brady under pressure -
Brady was under pressure for the third consecutive game -- this time by a defence that allowed 45 points to the opposition in each of the last two games.
Bradford completed 14-of-24 passes for 120 yards in the win. Brady finished 29-of-56 for 312 yards and two interceptions. He was sacked four times.
The win was the second for the Eagles in Foxborough, their first since 1987.
Brady's second-quarter touchdown pass was the 421st of his career, breaking a tie with Dan Marino for third place on the NFL all-time list.
Brady said his turnovers cost them Sunday's game.
"It was bad quarterbacking. I have got to do a better job," Brady said.
"No one can do your job for you. If I turn the ball over twice I don't think we have many chances to win a game."