CHARLOTTE (WFMY) - The Carolina Panthers are going for their fourth win in five games to start the season today against the Washington Redskins.
Carolina Panthers (3-1) at Washington Redskins (2-2)
FedEx Field
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Line: CAR (-1)
Three straight incomplete passes and the Panthers will drop this one, 23-17. Carolina only needed five yards for a first down, but went to the end zone with two timeouts left. The Panthers will face Philadelphia next week on the road.
Newton finds Greg Olsen in Redskins territory! The Panthers have the ball at the Washington 48 at the 2-minute warning.
The Redskins looking for the kill shot and Panthers safety Mike Adams causes a knockdown. Huge play there to force a field goal. Redskins lead 23-17 with 3:15 left. Can they complete a comeback?
Mario Addison called for a face mask and that'll give the Redskins 15 yards and a first down at the Panthers 43. That's the Panthers' eighth penalty of the day.
Newton gets the Panthers a first and goal at the two! Torrey Smith is open on a crossing route and Newton finds him for the touchdown! The Panthers go for 2 and Cam finds Smith again! It's a 3-point game with 8:32 left!
Newton finds Funchess on a high-riser! Panthers on the move in Redskins territory. They need points on this drive.
Smith is crushed by Julius Peppers and the ball is recovered by a Washington lineman. Peppers has been quiet this year, but made a big play there. A 56-yard field goal is good. Redskins get a huge score as they go up 20-9 with 12:40 left.
END THIRD QUARTER: Redskins 17, Panthers 9
Redskins going for it on fourth and 4 and Thomas Davis knocks it down! The Panthers get a big defensive stop and some much-needed momentum.
HALFTIME: Redskins 17, Panthers 6
PHOTOS | Carolina Panthers Vs. Washington Redskins October 14, 2018
The three turnovers loom large in this game as the Panthers aren't that far off from the Redskins in terms of total yards (165 to 169) but have gifted Washington an extra 14 points off two fumbles and an interception.
Mario Addison again in on the sack! This one will likely force a punt on fourth down as it pushes Washington out of field goal range with 1:33 left. Panthers will get the ball inside the 5.
Devin Funchess pulls in a touchdown pass in single coverage. The extra point is no good. Graham Gano was perfect on field goals and extra points coming into today. Newton was 4 of 6 passing on that drive. It's 17-6.
Newton holds on to the read option and gets a 13-yard run. He finds Moore over the middle on the next play for 18 yards and the Panthers are driving. They're facing their largest deficit of the season.
Redskins add a 49-yard field goal to go up 17-0. It's hard to win giving up 14 points off turnovers. Panthers have 5:30 left in the first half to get something going.
Alex Smith continues his big day, with a pass for a first down. Mario Addison, the Panthers leader in sacks, sacks him a couple plays later.
Panthers receiver DJ Moore fumbles again, this time negating what would have been a long catch. A rough day for the rookie, who commits the third Panthers turnover of the day. Norman forced the fumble, continuing a big day for the former Panther against his old team.
Panthers get a much-needed stop on third down. DJ Moore gets a fair catch at the 34-yard line.
Redskins playing with urgency after getting embarrassed Monday night against the Saints. Panthers look sluggish on offense. Former Panther Josh Norman picks off Cam Newton on a throw that was hurried by the pass rush. Panthers with two turnovers so far.
END FIRST QUARTER: Redskins 14, Panthers 0
Newton gets Greg Olsen some work on a short pass that goes for a first down. Newton finds Devin Funchess on the next play to get the offense rolling.
Alex Smith with his second touchdown pass of the day. Panthers down 14-0 already.
Vernon Davis with another big catch, this one for 21 yards. Adrian Peterson gets the Redskins inside the 10, now inside the 3.
Panthers go 3 and out on their second drive. Cam is 0/2 throwing so far. Panthers punt to the Washington 36.
Panthers got a special teams touchdown last week, but special teams prove problematic with an early turnover.
Panthers rookie DJ Moore fumbles the punt return and the Panthers in trouble to start. Redskins recover at the Panthers 22. Alex Smith finds Vernon Davis for a touchdown and the Redskins get an early strike. 7-0 Washington with 10:20 left in the first quarter.
Panthers get one first down and have to punt. Redskins got the ball in their own territory.
Here's a look at today's starters:
The Panthers are coming off a thrilling 33-31 win against New York Giants after Graham Gano hit an incredible 63-yard field goal in the final seconds. Gano's kick tied an NFL record for the longest game-winning field goal.
The Redskins had a forgettable 43-19 loss on Monday night against New Orleans, who sit a game ahead of the Panthers in the NFC South at 4-1.
Carolina has won the last five games in the series against Washington. The last time Washington prevailed against Carolina was Nov. 26, 2006.
Today's pregame notes
- Early returns on offensive coordinator Norv Turner have been positive. The Panthers have eclipsed 30 points in their last two games and quarterback Cam Newton is completing a career-best 65.4 percent of his passes after four games. Second-year running back Christian McCaffrey is on pace to beat last season's rushing numbers as he ranks fourth in the league with 82.3 yards per game. Newton also has a 127.1 passer rating in the red zone, the best in the league.
- Tight End Greg Olsen is back! The veteran is officially active Sunday after missing the last three games with a foot injury. Linebacker Thomas Davis also returns after serving a four-game suspension for PED violation. Olsen and Davis are both slated to start.
- The Panthers are struggling on third down. They're 19-for-49 on third, a 38.8 percentage that ranks them 20th in the league.
- Redskins receivers Josh Doctson, Paul Richardson and Jamison Crowder are all questionable entering Sunday's game.
- The Panthers are sixth in team defense in the league according to Pro Football Reference. The unit has allowed a league-low 12 third-down conversions on 39 attempts.
- Luke Kuechly has a team-best 29 tackles, an interception and a sack so far this season. Mario Addison leads the team in sacks with 2.5. The Panthers have nine sacks as a team, which is tied for 24th in the league.
- Mike Adams had two interceptions last week, one game after rookie cornerback Donte Jackson grabbed two picks against Cincinnati. Jackson, a rookie, has a team-high three interceptions in his rookie season.
- In addition to being last week's hero, Gano is a perfect 7-for-7 on field goals and 11-for-11 on extra points this year.
► Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WFMY News 2 App: Apple Users, Android Users