The Sports Xchange

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There were different types of scores assigned to the latest athletic maneuver by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Newton flipped into the end zone for the go-ahead points in the third quarter and the Panthers held on to defeat the Houston Texans 24-17 on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium.

Newton also threw for two touchdowns as the Panthers won for the second week in a row.

The quarterback’s most memorable move was the acrobatic flight into the end zone.

“I just know that my heart was in my socks,” said Newton, who was the game’s leading rusher with 76 yards. “(When) I was flipping, I was like, ‘Hey, I don’t know how this is going to end.’ Then I was thinking. I can stick this. I didn’t stick it. I think I still got a high rating by the judge.”

Newton flipped into the end zone over the tackle attempt of Texans safety Rahim Moore for the tiebreaking points with 1:04 to play in the third quarter.

Linebacker A.J. Klein’s fourth-quarter interception set up the Panthers at the Houston 36 with 9:02 left. The next play resulted in Newton’s touchdown pass to receiver Philly Brown, pushing the Panthers to a 24-10 lead.

Houston got back in it on quarterback Ryan Mallett’s 6-yard, fourth-down scramble for a touchdown with 6:31 remaining, making the score 24-17.

After Jared Crick deflected Graham Gano’s 53-yard field goal attempt, the Texans reached the Carolina 14-yard line before defensive tackle Kawann Short forced Mallett into an intentional grounding with 17 seconds left. Mallett’s fourth-down pass was incomplete with 5 seconds left.

What we learned about the Panthers:

1. The Panthers are using a familiar formula so far this season: playing good enough defense to make up for other deficiencies and ending up with victories. They posted 350 yards of total offense against Houston, so that was a decent number. They converted on 4 of 13 third-down situations in what was mostly a conservative approach. There are areas that must be addressed, including solving the problem of quarterback Cam Newton’s passes being tipped or deflected. He was fortunate to have only one pass picked off against the Texans.

2. The Panthers still have linebacker Thomas Davis on the defense and that’s not something that should be overlooked. He might have played with a little extra edge with linebacker Luke Kuechly out of the lineup with a concussion. Davis, who’s in his 11th season in the NFL, shared the Carolina lead with nine tackles against Houston. The Panthers were so comfortable with Davis in the lineup that they were able to tailor their defensive approach around his stability.

3. The Panthers are doing whatever they can to pump up their receiving corps because they’ve had some rough moments early in the season. There have been several dropped passes, not to mention general concern regarding the lack of experience. Then veteran wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery was injured in the first half against Houston, putting additional pressure on that unit. Despite an uneven performance, wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. had all sorts of praise directed toward him because of his touchdown reception.

Etc.:

–LB Luke Kuechly, a fourth-year player, had been a staple in the Panthers lineup since he arrived in the NFL out of Boston College. So his absence caused quite a stir leading up to the game against the Houston. He’s dealing with the aftermath of a concussion and the Panthers act like they understand that there’s no benefit to rushing him back into game action. His status for the next game against New Orleans is unresolved. But considering the team didn’t rule him out against Houston until the day before the game, the possibility of him returning next week will be one of the storylines leading to the next game.

–OT Mike Remmers ended up with a commendable performance going up against Texans DE J.J. Watt. Watt ended up with only one tackle for a loss (compared to six a week earlier). Remmers called the opportunity special in squaring off with Watt, and afterward seemed content that he fared pretty well. “Just wanted to try to take advantage of it as much as I can,” he said.

–LB A.J. Klein received rave reviews for stepping up to a starting role in place of LB Luke Kuechly, who sat out after sustaining a concussion a week earlier. Klein’s exploits involved directing the defense from the middle linebacker spot. He had a fourth-quarter interception and also posted four tackles.