Carolina entered the night as the NFL's No. 1 defense and didn't disappoint early, sacking Brady twice and holding Gronkowski to one catch for 14 yards in the opening half. The Panthers hadn't given up a touchdown in eight straight quarters, going back to the second half against Atlanta on Nov. 3, before Gronkowski's score.
Newton got Carolina the early lead by zipping a third-down throw to LaFell near the goal line with 2:44 left in the first,Cheap MLB T-shirts, capping a 90-yard drive that took more than 5 minutes off the clock.
