Panthers pound Bengals 31-21, Cam Newton has big day
The Carolina Panthers took care of business against the Bengals.
Cam Newton is back and that is bad news for the rest of the National Football League. The former Auburn product had a day and the Carolina Panthers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a 31-21 score.
In the first quarter, the Bengals struck first as Giovani Bernard took the ball from a yard out for a touchdown to give Cincinnati a 7-0 lead. Then, it was time for Newton to take matters into his own hands as he ran the ball from two yards out for a score. The second quarter gave way to more scoring as the Panthers would score first. Devin Funchess was on the receiving end of a four-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a 14-7 lead. It would not stay that way however as C.J. Uzomah was on the receiving end of an Andy Dalton pass from a yard out to tie the game at 14 apiece.
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C.J. Anderson would change that in a hurry as he caught a 24-yard pass from the arm of Newton to give the good guys a 21-14 advantage. Although the Panthers would head into the locker room on the right side of things, they hoped to gain even more of a lead in the second half.
They would do just that in the third frame as they would score first in the quarter. Newton would provide the insurance in this instance as he scampered into the end zone from five yards out for a touchdown. That capped off a six-play 26-yard drive to put the Panthers up 28-14. The Bengals would respond quickly however as Tyler Boyd caught a 27-yard pass from the arm of Andy Dalton to put the Bengals back in the game.
The fourth quarter would not provide much on the scoring from, but it allowed the Panthers to officially seal the deal. A 40-yard field goal from the leg of Graham Gano put the Panthers up 31-21. That is how the final score would read as the Panthers improve to 2-1 on the year.
Newton had a tremendous game, going 15-of-24 on the afternoon for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey was the offensive catalyst again, rushing the ball 28 times for 184 yards. Devin Funchess was the leading receiver for this contest, catching four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. Shaq Thompson and Colin Jones both paced the defense with eight tackles each and it was nice to see them both step up and make key plays
The Panthers will play the Giants at home next Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 P.M. ET.