CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's all about finishing strong for the Carolina Panthers.

It took that to pull out a 31-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon and it will take that across the next three weeks to remain in playoff position.

Jonathan Stewart's third touchdown run of the game was a 1-yard leap with 1:47 remaining, breaking a tie after the Vikings rallied during the last six minutes at Bank of America Stadium.

"Just getting the job done," Stewart said. "It's about finishing games."

The Panthers (9-4) pulled into a tie for first place in the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints. The Vikings (10-3) had an eight-game winning streak snapped, and with Green Bay and Detroit winning overtime games, they will have to wait another week before they can clinch the NFC North.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton ran 62 yards on second down to take the ball to the Minnesota 8-yard line to set up the winning score.

"This whole game was a result of just persistence, persistence, persistence," Newton said.

That running play was one of many that irked the Vikings.

"He needed to do whatever it took to keep his team in the game," Minnesota cornerback Xavier Rhodes said. "He is the leader of the team and he needed to make plays, and he made them."

The Vikings failed to pick up a first down after Carolina's go-ahead score. That series began with defensive tackle Kawann Short registering a sack.

"They're trying to get a two-minute offense going and you get a sack that's going to (make a difference)," Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei said. "To come out and get a win against a good team like that, a team that has been on a roll that means a lot. It wasn't perfect."

Newton completed 13-of-25 passes for 137 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Stewart gained 103 yards on 16 carries.

Vikings quarterback Case Keenum was 27 of 44 for 280 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Minnesota had a chance to take the lead late in the game, but it was thwarted by Carolina's goal-line stand.

Safety Andrew Sendejo's interception of a third-down pass off running back Christian McCaffrey's hands gave the Vikings the ball at the Carolina 6 following a 34-yard return with 4:36 remaining.

The Vikings lost 3 yards, settling for Kai Forbath's tying 27-yard field goal.

"I put it all on us," Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs said. "We had the opportunities."

The Vikings hadn't lost since Oct. 1, so there was no need to make a big deal about this result.

"It was just a game," Rhodes said. "That is all it was. It was not a playoff game. We are not going home, no one is going home. We have a game next week."

Trailing 24-13, Minnesota drove more than 50 yards in the fourth quarter. Then Diggs bobbled a pass that was intercepted by James Bradberry with 8:48 remaining to thwart a scoring chance.

The Vikings were back in business by the 5:36 mark, when Adam Thielen made a 52-yard catch and run for a touchdown. Keenum connected with tight end Blake Bell on a two-point conversion.

Carolina held a 21-13 lead after its first possession of the second half. Newton escaped pressure and threw 18 yards to receiver Devin Funchess for a touchdown.

A strange turnover on a fumble by Keenum, who was trying to throw a pass, gave Carolina the ball right back at the Minnesota 31. That resulted in Graham Gano's 41-yard field goal.

Keenum, who was sacked six times, took a third-down sack on the next possession that knocked the Vikings out of field-goal range, so there was a punt instead.

Another third-down sack in the opening minute of the fourth quarter came before a missed 54-yard field goal by Forbath.

The Panthers led 14-13 at halftime despite the Vikings compiling 200 yards of total offense.

Stewart scored from 1 yard out in the opening minute of the second quarter, capping a 14-play, 89-yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes and included a pair of personal-foul facemask penalties. That put the Panthers on top 14-7.

Minnesota's first possession ended after one first down with Daryl Worley intercepting Keenum.

Three snaps later, Stewart burst up the middle for a 60-yard touchdown run.

The Vikings tied the game with tight end Kyle Rudolph's 18-yard catch from Keenum.

Forbath had second-quarter field goals from 30 and 22 yards for the Vikings, the latter of those with seven seconds left in the half on the play after Minnesota had a touchdown wiped out on an official replay review. Thielen was ruled to not have control of the ball in the end zone.

NOTES: It was 41 degrees at kickoff. ... Vikings RT Mike Remmers, a first-year member of the team after playing for Carolina, remained out of the lineup as he has missed more than a month. ... TE David Morgan (concussion) also remained inactive for the Vikings. ... Vikings backup LB Emmanuel Lamur didn't return after going out with a foot injury. ... Panthers LB Shaq Thompson was out with a foot injury, replaced in the starting lineup by LB David Mayo. ... Newly signed LB Spencer Paysinger was on the field for the opening kickoff as part of Carolina's coverage unit. ... The Vikings are home next Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. ... This was the beginning of a three-game homestand for the Panthers, who meet Green Bay next Sunday.