Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton again focus of borderline hits

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Another week, another seemingly illegal hit on quarterback Cam Newton and another clip for the Carolina Panthers to send to the league asking why a flag didn't fly.

Well, one did, but it was a penalty against Newton for throwing the ball at Washington Redskins defensive end Trent Murphy in Carolina's 26-15 victory on Monday night. The taunting call penalized the Panthers 15 yards, pushing them out of field goal range while an in-stadium replay showed clear helmet-to-helmet contact.

"What I saw was that Cam slid late and the defender went over the top," referee Walt Coleman told a pool reporter. "I didn't see any forcible contact with the head."

Coach Ron Rivera, who saw what everyone else did by looking up at the scoreboard, said afterward that he thought Murphy should have been penalized, an opinion that obviously hadn't changed less than 24 hours later.

"I'm (Newton's) coach," Rivera said Tuesday. "I'm most certainly going to favor him and I am biased."

What happened later certainly didn't help quiet those who feel there's some sort of conspiracy against Newton and the Panthers.

With less than five minutes left in the game, Carolina defensive tackle Kawann Short was flagged for roughing the passer after he pushed a scrambling Kirk Cousins out of bounds.

So why did one quarterback get the call while the other didn't?

"I've said it before, look at what used to happen to Shaquille O'Neal," Rivera said. "(Newton's) a big guy and when he takes hits, it's a little different.

"When (Short) hit the quarterback, he was still two feet inbounds. But KK hit him pretty good and he flew through the sideline, into the cheerleaders, up against the wall. It looks pretty dramatic."

REPORT CARD VS. REDSKINS

PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus -- QB Cam Newton, who had gone four straight games completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes, went 21 of 37 for 300 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. In four games against the Redskins, he's totaled 1,003 passing yards, nine touchdowns and no picks. TE Greg Olsen caught six passes for 85 yards and is now eight yards away from becoming the first TE in NFL history with three straight 1,000-yard seasons.

RUSHING OFFENSE: A-minus -- RB Jonathan Stewart ran 25 times for 132 yards, his biggest output since he ran for 155 against the Saints on Dec. 7, 2014. The Redskins had held six of their past eight opponents under 100 yards until the Panthers rushed for 148.

PASS DEFENSE: A-minus -- The Panthers held QB Kirk Cousins without a touchdown pass for the first time since the Steelers did it in Week 1. The Redskins came in leading the league in completions of 25-plus yards, but their biggest strike went for just 23 yards.

RUSH DEFENSE: A -- A year after holding the Redskins to 14 rushing yards, the Panthers allowed just 29. That's an impressive effort considering Washington had averaged 119.4 yards on the ground over its past 10 games.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C -- Kicker Graham Gano missed a 38-yard field goal, but made his four other attempts. P Michael Palardy placed half of his six punts inside the 20.

COACHING: A-minus -- The Redskins were the team playing for the playoffs, but they were outplayed and outcoached. Ron Rivera's teams always play well in December, and the Panthers have now won 13 of their past 15 regular-season games played after November.