NEW ORLEANS — It had been so long since the Carolina Panthers won a football game that quarterback Cam Newton, the self-proclaimed Superman, must have felt about as vertically challenged as Clark Kent.

But at least for one Sunday, Newton and the painfully limited Panthers, winless in seven consecutive games, soared once again.

Newton threw for three touchdowns and leaped high over the goal-line for another, and running back Jonathan Stewart rushed for 155 yards, including a 69-yard scoring scamper to open the second half, as Carolina routed the New Orleans Saints 41-10 Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

“It was a thing of beauty how we played today,” Newton said. “It felt so good to get a win in this place. They beat us in Carolina (28-10), and for us to bounce back and play the way we did with the amount of effort and tenacity was great. We started fast and didn’t sputter.”

The victory for Carolina (4-8-1) was its first since Oct. 5, and the Saints (5-8) lost their fourth consecutive home game. In their previous seven games, the Panthers recorded a tie and six consecutive losses.

The Panthers forced two turnovers on the Saints’ first three plays — turning those takeaways into a 17-0 lead — and they rolled up 271 yards rushing on 40 carries. In addition to Stewart’s 155-yard effort — his first 100-yard rushing game in four seasons — Newton gained 83 yards on 12 carries.

Newton ran the read option to perfection, easily getting the edge of the Saints’ defense.

“I think the biggest thing was we were able to run the ball and run the ball early with success,” said Carolina coach Ron Rivera. “When your running backs operate that way, it creates opportunities for your quarterback.”

The 31-point loss was tied for the most lopsided for the Saints in eight seasons under head coach Sean Payton.

The Saints also had not lost four consecutive games at home since 1999. It was the most points allowed by the Saints since a 55-21 loss against Indianapolis in 2003.

“That was embarrassing how we played, how we coached — pick an area it was awful,” said Payton. “You’re not going to have a chance to win when you turn it over that frequently in the first quarter, don’t tackle, give up almost 300 yards rushing, jump offsides — you name it.”

Newton completed 21-of-33 passes for 226 yards, and he ignited the Panthers’ recently dormant offense in the first half. Newton went 15-of-24 for 162 yards in the first half, including touchdown strikes of 9 yards to wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin on Carolina’s first series and 16 yards to a wide-open tight end Greg Olsen with 2:14 left in the half.

Newton also rushed for 68 of his 83 yards in the first half, scoring on a leaping 2-yard dive on which he extended the ball over the goal-line.

What the Panthers said:

“We talked about starting fast. It has been a point of emphasis all week. I think Cam had a real good handle and a good feel of what we were doing. Positive things have to happen. You can’t have negative plays. He had a couple of throws that I’m sure he wishes he had back. He made some really good decisions, some really good reads, and put us in position to score points early.” — Coach Ron Rivera

What the Saints said:

“Let’s make sure this is crystal clear. We’ve got to look closely at everything — preparation, who we’re asking to do it. This isn’t any mystery what you need to do to win games in this league. We did all the things to keep you from winning game.” — Coach Sean Payton

What we learned about the Panthers:

1. Jonathan Stewart rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time in four seasons, and he did it with a bruising style that got him plenty of yards after contact. On Stewart’s 69-yard touchdown run early in the second half, Stewart was untouched. “Whenever you go untouched, everybody is doing their job,” said RB Fozzy Whittaker. “The offensive line did a great job. They were creating a new line of scrimmage past the original line of scrimmage.”

2. The Panthers entered the game scoring just 30 points in the first quarter and just 75 in the first half in the first 12 games. They rang up 17 first-quarter points and led 24-3 at halftime. “We scored early,” coach Ron Rivera said. “We had opportunities the last time we played them when we got takeaways early, but we didn’t put points on the board. (The Saints) have the kind of offense that if you don’t score on them early, you let them back in the game, and they will get you.”

–QB Cam Newton was awful in the first meeting with the Saints this season, completing just 10-of-28 passes in a 28-10 loss. But he made every correct decision on the read-option, hurting the Saints with 83 rushing yards. He went 21-of-33 for 226 yards and three TDs on Sunday, missing only a couple of easy throws in the first half. “My job is to put up points any which way possible,” Newton said.

–S Roman Harper, who was not re-signed in the offseason because the Saints considered him too slow, broke up three passes and held TE Jimmy Graham mostly in check. Harper didn’t take pleasure in separating WR Marques Colston from the ball with a hit to the ribs, but he was just doing his job. “I felt bad when I hit Colston one time, but he was in my (2006) draft class,” Harper said.

–CB Bene Benwikere got the Panthers defense started on the right foot by intercepting a deep pass from Drew Brees on the Saints’ third offensive play. That led to an early 17-0 lead. Benwikere also broke up two other passes. Coach Ron Rivera said the Panthers’ young secondary played well against Brees. “Sometimes, the best thing is not to know,” Rivera said. “I think these guys played to the best of their abilities. It’s inspiring to see the way the young guys played.”

What we learned about the Saints:

1. The Saints simply cannot stop the run. Jonathan Stewart (20-155) was the fourth running back this season to rush for at least 148 yards against the Saints, and New Orleans has lost each game. Stewart was not even touched on a 69-yard gallop off right tackle on the Panthers’ first play of the second half, putting Carolina up 31-3. “Our tackling was awful,” coach Sean Payton said. The Saints allowed 271 yards on 40 carries, the most in two seasons under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

2. Send out a search party — or find a spot a milk carton — for tight end Jimmy Graham. Graham was shut out last week in a 35-32 road victory over the Steelers, and he was expected to be a major factor against the Panthers, considering his history against Carolina (53-675 and 8 TDs). Graham was targeted 11 times but caught just three passes for 25 yards on Sunday, with a long gain of 10 yards, and he had four or five drops.

–DE Junior Galette, the Saints’ best pass rusher, went down with a right knee injury in the first half. Galette made some critical comments before the game about former Saints S Roman Harper. While Galette has been decent rushing the passer, he has been shoved around against the run. The Panthers rushed for 143 of their 271 yards in the first half.

–QB Drew Brees had another average performance (29-of-49 for 235 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), but he was hurt by six or seven drops. Brees has thrown 12 interceptions and lost two fumbles this season. “Within the first six minutes of the game, they’re up 17-0,” Brees said. “We’d run three plays. Obviously, that can’t happen. We need to be more professional. When I say ‘we,’ I mean the entire team.”

–WR Marques Colston, who had two drops, caught five passes for 72 yards, giving him 9,043 career receiving yards. Colston is the 57th player in NFL history to surpass the 9,000-yard mark.