Cam Newton, Panthers beat Patriots on fourth quarter drive, 24-20

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers had a lot to prove heading into tonight's Monday Night matchup with the New England Patriots. They effectively proved to the league that they are a force to be reckoned with, riding clutch play from Newton and their defense to a 24-20 win over the Patriots in Carolina.

The Patriots were able to take their first lead of the game late in the fourth quarter on a Stephen Gostowski chip shot field goal, leaving the game essentially in the hands of the defense.

However, Cam Newton (209 yards, 3 TDs) was able to lead the Panthers down the field on an 83 yard drive in the end to take the lead on a catch and run 25 yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn with just 59 seconds remaining.

Brady was able to keep the Patriots offense efficient, throwing for 296 yards and 1 touchdown and had only missed four passes up until the final drive. The offense got the chance to respond, getting the ball with under a minute left and three timeouts. Aided by a Carolina penalty, they were able to get to the Carolina 18 yard line with three seconds left but a Tom Brady pass was intercepted in the end zone.

The Patriots fall to 7-3 on the year with a key matchup against the AFC-leading Denver Broncos coming on Sunday Night Football next week.