Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Carolina 34, Atlanta 10
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 3, 2013
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Temperature: 62°
Head Official: Tony Corrente
Attendance: 73720

Panthers 34, Falcons 10: Cam Newton passed for one touchdown and ran for another while host Carolina intercepted Matt Ryan three times to roll to its fourth straight win.

Newton threw two interceptions but finished 23-of-37 for 249 yards with a 14-yard scoring strike to tight end Greg Olsen before adding an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Panthers (5-3) limited Atlanta to 289 total yards and have held six straight opponents under 320.

Ryan was 20-of-27 for 219 yards as the Falcons (2-6) failed to move the ball in the second half. Their longest drive after the break lasted five plays, and two of Ryan's three interceptions came after the break, including one Drayton Florence returned 38 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-10.

Ryan's first pick set up Mike Tolbert's 4-yard scoring run that opened the scoring and Newton's TD pass to Olsen made it 14-3. Ryan and Tony Gonzalez hooked up for a 17-yard touchdown - the first the Panthers have allowed in the first half all season - to pull Atlanta within 14-10, but Carolina scored 20 unanswered points after halftime.

The Panthers averted a potential disaster when Brandon LaFell recovered his own fumble at the Atlanta 8, setting up Newton's touchdown run a play later to make it 24-10. Florence took Ryan's third interception to the end zone on the second play of the ensuing possession to seal it.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Gonzalez had six receptions for 81 yards and has caught a pass in 203 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in NFL history. … Atlanta had not allowed an interception-return touchdown since 2010 versus Tampa Bay, a span of 47 games. … Carolina RB Jonathan Stewart played for the first time since Nov. 26, 2012, and had 43 rushing yards on nine carries and three catches for 22 yards.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Atlanta   Carolina
Steven Jackson Player Jonathan Stewart
13 Attempts 9
57 Yards 43
4.4 Avg Yards 4.8
0 Touchdowns 0
13 Long 16
Receiving
Atlanta   Carolina
Harry Douglas Player Brandon LaFell
3 Receptions 6
82 Yards 74
27.3 Avg Yards 12.3
0 Touchdowns 0
41 Long 30
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Atlanta 289 78 211 1 1 2 1.0 1
Carolina 373 131 242 4 2 3 1.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Carolina will play their next game on the road against San Francisco. The Panthers have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game at home against Seattle. The Falcons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.