National Football League
Carolina 30, St. Louis 15
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 20, 2013
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Temperature: 68°
Head Official: Bill Vinocich
Attendance: 72686

Panthers 30, Rams 15: Cam Newton completed 15-of-17 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown and Captain Munnerlyn returned an interception for a score as host Carolina snapped St. Louis' two-game winning streak with its third win in four contests.

Steve Smith caught five passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and Mike Tolbert added a rushing score for the Panthers (3-3), who reached the .500 mark for the first time since finishing 8-8 in 2009.

St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford was 21-of-30 for 255 yards with a touchdown and an interception before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter. The Rams (3-4) entered the game ranked third in the NFL in the red zone but came away with just one touchdown in three trips.

Munnerlyn picked off Bradford and went 45 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage as the defenses set the tone early. The Rams cut it to 7-2 when Eugene Sims tackled Tolbert in the end zone, but Carolina's defense came up with the bulk of the big plays and forced three turnovers.

Neither team scored an offensive touchdown until Tolbert's 1-yard plunge capped an 80-yard drive to give Carolina a 17-5 lead with 1:05 left before halftime. The Panthers found some consistency on offense after the break, as Newton's 19-yard touchdown pass to Smith was sandwiched between a pair of Graham Gano field goals.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Bradford underwent an MRI exam on Sunday night that revealed a torn ACL in his left knee, according to multiple media outlets. ... Rams DE Chris Long was ejected early in the third quarter after being called for unnecessary roughness following a skirmish involving several players. The teams combined for five personal foul penalties. … Smith's touchdown catch was the 800th reception of his career, making him the 29th player in NFL history to reach the milestone. … Bradford was injured when he was pushed out of bounds by Mike Mitchell. He was helped to the bench and later left the sideline area on a cart.

Top Game Performances
Rushing
St. Louis   Carolina
Zac Stacy Player DeAngelo Williams
17 Attempts 15
53 Yards 40
3.1 Avg Yards 2.7
0 Touchdowns 0
21 Long 12
Receiving
St. Louis   Carolina
Brian Quick Player Steve Smith
2 Receptions 5
97 Yards 69
48.5 Avg Yards 13.8
0 Touchdowns 1
73 Long 19
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
St. Louis 317 63 254 1 2 0 2.0 0
Carolina 282 102 180 3 3 1 4.0 3
Upcoming Games
  • Carolina will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Panthers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • St. Louis will play their next game at home against Seattle. The Rams have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .333 after a loss.