LANDOVER, Md. -- The Carolina Panthers' playoff chances range somewhere between infinitesimal and none.

As underdogs Monday night, they put a huge dent in the Washington Redskins' hopes.

Cam Newton passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns, Jonathan Stewart rushed for 132 yards, and the Panthers defeated the Redskins 26-15 at FedEx Field.

Newton completed 21 of 37 passes, and tight end Greg Olsen had six catches for 85 yards for Carolina, which scored 10 points in the third quarter to go up by 14. Graham Gano kicked four field goals as the Panthers held on for their second win in a row.

"This embodies everything that we are as a team, as an organization," running back Mike Tolbert said of the defending NFC champs. "Our motto is 'keep pounding' and that's what we do, regardless of the situation, regardless of our record. We're going to keep pounding."

The loss leaves the Redskins (7-6-1) on the outside looking in at the playoffs with two games remaining. They will need to win and get help. Carolina (6-8) meanwhile, keeps its mathematical playoff hopes alive for another day.

Carolina outgained Washington 438-335 yards, including 148-29 on the ground.

"When we can run the ball and run it successfully, we give ourselves a chance to win football games," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "Stop the run, I think we took away their play-action passing. We were able to keep the ball in front of us. We didn't allow a big ball over the top."

Kirk Cousins completed 32 of 47 passes for 316 yards with one interception. DeSean Jackson caught seven passes for 111 yards.

The Panthers won their fifth straight versus Washington, which fell to 2-16 in Monday night games at FedEx Field.

"It's my responsibility to get these guys ready to play," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "We weren't as ready as I would have liked to have been. We didn't execute like I would like to have seen. That falls on my shoulders."

Redskins cornerback Josh Norman played his first game against his former team, who let him leave after four seasons when it rescinded his franchise tag in the spring. Norman nearly had an interception when he broke up a third-quarter Newton pass in the end zone.

After Gano missed a 38-yard field-goal attempt with 5:37 left and Carolina up 23-12, Cousins and Jackson connected twice -- once on an incomplete call that was reversed after a challenge -- and Dustin Hopkins' 34-yard field goal pulled Washington within eight points with 3:44 remaining.

On the next possession, Stewart ripped off a 34-yard gain on first down, and Gano's 41-yarder with 1:12 left sealed the win for the Panthers, who didn't have a turnover.

With Carolina on top 13-9, Washington's Will Blackmon fielded the second-half kickoff 3 yards deep in the end zone and brought it out, but only to the 15. On the next play, Panthers defensive end Wes Horton hit Cousins, recovered the ensuing fumble and was brought down at the 1.

Newton connected with Mike Tolbert two plays later, and it was 20-3 while fans were still returning to their seats.

"Fumbled, gave them the ball on the 1-yard-line," Cousins said. "That's where we feel like we didn't do enough to help our defense because on top of not scoring enough, we gave their offense a much better opportunity to score and made it tough on our defense."

Gano's 23-yarder with 5:07 left in the third quarter increased the lead to 23-9.

Thanks in part to a 17-yard sideline catch by Jackson that was originally ruled incomplete before the Redskins challenged it, Washington drove to the Carolina 10. On the last play of the quarter, running back Rob Kelley lost 2 yards and tight end Jordan Reed was ejected for punching a Carolina player after the play.

Pushed back 15 yards, the Redskins ultimately settled for a field goal, cutting the deficit to 23-12 with 14:08 left as their red-zone troubles continued.

NOTES: Redskins LB Houston Bates (left knee injury) left in the first quarter and did not return. ... Washington CB Quinton Dunbar left with a concussion. ... Redskins LB Ryan Kerrigan sustained an elbow sprain. ... Carolina LB Luke Kuechly, who cleared the concussion protocol Saturday, was inactive for a fourth game. ... Redskins LB Will Compton (knee sprain) was inactive, and LB Martrell Spaight made his first career start. Nickel LB Su'a Cravens (elbow) was also out for Washington. ... Washington C Spencer Long (concussion) and LG Shawn Lauvao (groin) returned after missing last week's game. ... With two first-quarter catches, Washington's Vernon Davis became the 12th tight end in NFL history to reach 500 career receptions. ... Redskins QB Kirk Cousins broke his own team record for passing yards in a single season in the second quarter. He finished he night at 4,360 yards. ... Panthers S Kurt Coleman has 11 interceptions over the past two seasons, third most in the NFL during that time.