CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A few thoughts on the Carolina Panthers' 17-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Bank of America Stadium:
What it means: Christmas came early for the Panthers (6-8-1) as they took over first place in the NFC South. Their win against Cleveland, along with Atlanta's win at New Orleans, sets up a showdown next Sunday in the Georgia Dome between Carolina and Atlanta (6-9) for the NFC South title. One thing is clear: If the Panthers go on to repeat as division champion, there's a good chance it won't be pretty if their last two wins are an indication. This one certainly wasn't a work of art. There were the usual mishaps in the red zone. There were costly fumbles and interceptions and countless replay challenges. But just as they did a week earlier with a two-point victory over Tampa Bay, the Panthers survived. Their third straight win makes the regular-season finale significant.
Stock watch: If there was any doubt about the health of quarterback Cam Newton, 12 days removed from suffering two small fractures in his lower back in an automobile accident, it ended quickly. Newton had a 4-yard scramble on the game's second play and then kept the ball for a 15-yard run on the next. He had seven runs, including a 2-yard touchdown, by halftime. It was an up-and-down day for Newton. He completed 18 of 31 pass attempts for 201 yards and ran 12 times for 63. He made a poor decision midway through the third quarter when he threw an interception while scrambling out of control. He did a nice job of keeping the play alive and keeping his eyes downfield when he connected with running back Jonathan Stewart for a 9-yard touchdown with 7:07 remaining.
Stock watch II: Tight end Greg Olsen had 20 catches in his previous two games in a final big push for the Pro Bowl. He didn't catch his first and only pass Sunday until about 9:42 remained in the fourth quarter.
Demons: The red zone and special teams seem like a weekly feature here. Maybe that's because the Panthers are so bad in both areas. They failed to score a touchdown on their first trip inside the 20, thanks to a dropped pass by fullback Mike Tolbert and a bad pass by Newton to Kelvin Benjamin on third down. They made it into the end zone on their next trip despite a false start on the first play. As for special teams, an illegal block in the back negated a lengthy punt return and an illegal wedge (yes, don't hear that often) on a kickoff forced the Panthers to start one drive from the 6.
Game ball: Stewart. Newton had a boneheaded interception that kept him from getting it and linebacker Luke Kuechly was part of a busted coverage that led to an 81-yard touchdown. So it goes to Stewart, who caught the game-winning touchdown and led the team in rushing with 122 yards on 24 carries. His 30-yard run with less than two minutes left sealed this one.
What's next: The Panthers face the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on Dec. 28.
