Sep 22, 2013 5 min read

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cam Newton threw three touchdown passes and ran for another, and Carolina sacked Eli Manning seven times as the Panthers handed Tom Coughlin his worst defeat as coach of the New York Giants, 38-0 Sunday.

It was the largest margin of victory in Panthers history.

The Panthers (1-2) allowed Newton to run out of the read option, which helped open up an offense that had been mostly stagnant this season. Newton had 223 yards passing and threw two touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell and one to Ted Ginn Jr. He ran for 45 yards and his first TD of the season.

The Giants are in trouble: Of the 161 teams that have started the season 0-3 since 1978, only five made the NFL playoffs, according to STATS LLC.

Indianapolis 27, San Francisco 7: Andrew Luck threw for 164 yards and ran for a 6-yard touchdown while facing college coach Jim Harbaugh for the first time, and Indianapolis defeated San Francisco.

Trent Richardson scored a 1-yard touchdown on his first carry in his Colts debut after being acquired on Wednesday from the Browns. He was drafted two spots behind Luck at No. 3 last year.

Ahmad Bradshaw added a 1-yard TD run in the final minutes, and Adam Vinatieri kicked a pair of field goals before missing a 51-yarder early in the fourth.

It was Colin Kaepernick’s his first home loss at Candlestick Park as a starter.

New England 23, Tampa Bay 3: Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes to Kenbrell Thompkins to lead New England to a one-sided win over Tampa Bay.

Thompkins, an undrafted free agent, scored on plays of 16 and 5 yards in the first half. Aaron Dobson, a second-round draft pick, finished with seven catches for 52 yards. In their first two games, the rookies combined for just nine receptions.

Cincinnati 34, Green Bay 30: Terence Newman returned a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown with 3:47 left, rallying Cincinnati past Green Bay in a game of wild momentum swings set up by nonstop turnovers.

Each team gave it away four times. Each team returned a fumble for a touchdown – M.D. Jennings ran one back for Green Bay (1-2). The Bengals blew a 14-point lead, and the Packers let a 16-point lead get away in the second half.

New Orleans 31, Arizona 7: Drew Brees passed for three scores and scrambled for New Orleans’ first touchdown rushing of the season in a victory over Arizona.

The Saints quarterback was 29 of 46 for 342 yards, with two TD strikes to tight end Jimmy Graham and the other to Robert Meachem.

Dallas 31, St. Louis 7: DeMarco Murray ran for 175 yards and a touchdown two years after torching St. Louis with a franchise record as a rookie, and Tony Romo threw for three scores in Dallas’ rout.

The Cowboys (2-1) sacked Sam Bradford four times in the first half and had six overall after St. Louis (1-2) hadn’t allowed a sack in four games, dating to last season.

Baltimore 30, Houston 9: Daryl Smith had a 37-yard interception return for a TD, Tandon Doss took a punt 82 yards for another score, and Baltimore smothered Houston’s high-powered offense.

The Ravens (2-1) won despite playing without Ray Rice for the first time since 2008. The three-time Pro Bowl running back was replaced by Bernard Pierce, who ran for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Houston (2-1) led 6-3 before Smith picked off Matt Schaub’s pass and took it into the end zone with 2:39 left in the first half. Less than two minutes later, Doss had his first punt return for a touchdown.

The Ravens haven’t allowed a touchdown in eight quarters since their season-opening 49-27 defeat in Denver.

Detroit 27, Washington 20: Matthew Stafford completed 25 of 42 passes for 385 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson both had 100 yards receiving for Detroit, which beat Washington on the road for the first time since 1939.

Tennessee 20, San Diego 17: Jake Locker helped Tennessee end a skid against the San Diego that spanned two states and two decades.

Cleveland 31, Minnesota 27: Jordan Cameron caught three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead grab in the back of the end zone with 51 seconds left, and Cleveland kept Minnesota winless.

Seattle 45, Jacksonville 17: Russell Wilson matched his career high with four touchdown passes – two each to Sidney Rice and Zach Miller – and Seattle overwhelmed Jacksonville.

Miami 27, Atlanta 23: Ryan Tannehill lobbed a 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie Dion Sims with 38 seconds left, and unbeaten Miami rallied past Atlanta.

N.Y. Jets 27, Buffalo 20: Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 69-yarder to Santonio Holmes in the fourth quarter, and the New York Jets overcame a team-record 20 penalties to hang on and beat Buffalo in an ugly game.