PANTHERS SCORE EARLY
While defensive tackle Cam Thomas recorded his first sack of the year to end Carolina’s first drive near midfield, the Panthers successfully leveraged their field position. The visitors downed Andy Lee’s punt at Los Angeles’ three-yard line, and the Rams’ offense could not get anything going with a three-and-out.
L.A. downed Hekker’s punt at Carolina’s 47-yard line, but it didn’t take long for Newton to drive the Panthers deep into Rams territory. While Newton’s arm was certainly effective in completing passes to wideouts Ted Ginn Jr. and Kelvin Benjamin. But Newton’s six-yard run on a quarterback power on 3rd-and-4 from the Rams’ 20 kept the drive alive.