Top overall selection Cam Newton overcame a rough game to lead a fourth-quarter comeback as the Carolina Panthers defeated Blaine Gabbert and the Jacksonville Jaguars 16-10 on Sunday in a matchup of quarterbacks picked in the first round of this year's draft.
A torrential rain fell for most of the first half, leaving a wet, sloppy field at Bank of America Stadium.
Newton, who led the NFC in passing yards after back-to-back 400-yard passing games, struggled for most of the day Sunday. With 4:20 remaining, Newton capped a scoring drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen to give Carolina (1-2) the lead.
Newton finished with 158 passing yards, becoming the first NFL rookie to pass for over 1,000 yards in his first three games.
Making his first start, Gabbert got off to a rocky beginning when he was sacked for a safety. He rebounded to throw his first career touchdown pass on the final play of the first half to give the Jaguars (1-2) a 10-5 lead.
With six seconds left in the half, Gabbert hit Mike Thomas at about the 5-yard line, and Thomas splashed into the end zone for a 36-yard score.
Jacksonville | Carolina | |
Maurice Jones-Drew | Player | Jonathan Stewart |
24 | Attempts | 10 |
122 | Yards | 59 |
5.1 | Avg Yards | 5.9 |
0 | Touchdowns | 0 |
39 | Long | 20 |
Jacksonville | Carolina | |
Mike Thomas | Player | Greg Olsen |
4 | Receptions | 7 |
55 | Yards | 57 |
13.8 | Avg Yards | 8.1 |
1 | Touchdowns | 1 |
36 | Long | 16 |
Yards | Scoring | Defense | ||||||
Team | Tot | Rus | Pas | TD | FG | INT | Sck | FF |
Jacksonville | 257 | 128 | 129 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
Carolina | 265 | 107 | 158 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2.0 | 1 |