Newton throws for 5 TDs as Panthers improve to 12-0

Cam Newton passed for five touchdowns, capped by a 15-yard scoring strike to Jerricho Cotchery with 1:05 to go, and the unbeaten Carolina Panthers clinched the NFC South with a 41-38 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Carolina, the only remaining unbeaten team in the NFL, has the ninth 12-0 start in league history.
Newton, who was 28 of 41 for 331 yards, twice had to lead the Panthers back from fourth-quarter deficits as the Saints (4-8) tried desperately to avoid a four-game losing streak. Jonathan Stewart had a 5-yard scoring run on a pitch from Newton.
Drew Brees passed for 282 yards and three touchdowns. Saints linebacker Stephone Anthony returned a fumble 31 yards for a score and also became the first NFL player to return a blocked extra-point kick for 2 points in NFL history.
Philadelphia 35, New England 28: Najee Goode scored on a blocked punt, Malcolm Jenkins returned an interception 99 yards for another touchdown and Philadelphia held on for an improbable victory over New England.
Darren Sproles returned a punt 83 yards for the Eagles’ second special teams touchdown, giving Philadelphia a 21-point lead before the Patriots came charging back.
Tom Brady threw for a touchdown to make it a two-score game and then, after an onside kick, ran it in from the 1 yard-line to cut it to seven points with 3 minutes left.
New England’s second onside kick failed, but the Patriots (10-2) forced a third-down fumble to give Brady one more chance.
The comeback fell short when Brady’s passes bounced out of his receivers’ hands.
Kansas City 34, Oakland 20: Jeremy Maclin had two touchdowns catches after fourth-quarter interceptions and Tyvon Branch returned a third interception from Derek Carr for a game-clinching score against his former team and Kansas City rallied for its sixth straight win.
The Raiders (5-7) were leading by six points and driving for more when Carr’s mistakes changed the tide of the game and helped keep the Chiefs (7-5) in the lead in the AFC wild-card race.
Denver 17, San Diego 3: Brock Osweiler threw for one touchdown and Danny Trevathan intercepted Philip Rivers and returned it 25 yards for a score, leading the Denver Broncos to a victory against hapless San Diego.
Osweiler improved to 3-0 since taking over for the injured Peyton Manning. The AFC West-leading Broncos are 10-2. San Diego fell to 3-9.
Thousands of orange-clad Broncos fans cheered the visitors in what might have been the penultimate Chargers game in San Diego. Chairman Dean Spanos wants to move to an industrial suburb of Los Angeles, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last week warned San Diego that it had until the end of the month to come up with an acceptable plan for a new stadium.
The Chargers walked away from stadium talks in mid-June.
San Francisco 26, Chicago 20, OT: Blaine Gabbert threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Torrey Smith in overtime after running for the tying TD late in regulation, lifting struggling San Francisco to a victory over Chicago.
N.Y. Jets 23, N.Y. Giants 20, OT: Randy Bullock kicked a 31-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime to give the Jets a stunning win that sent the reeling Giants to their third straight loss.
The Jets (7-5) didn’t seal the win until Josh Brown missed a 48-yard field goal field goal with 6:33 left in the extra session, his first miss in 26 attempts this season. That left many questioning Coughlin and wondering whether the Giants (5-7) are headed for a fourth straight season out of the playoffs.
Coughlin elected to go on a fourth-and-2 from the Jets 4 with his team ahead 20-10 with under nine minutes to play. The play failed.
Seattle 38, Minnesota 7: Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another, Seattle’s defense didn’t allow a score, and the surging Seahawks won their third straight game with a romp over Minnesota. Doug Baldwin had two touchdowns and 94 yards receiving and Thomas Rawls rushed for 101 yards and a score.
Buffalo 30, Houston 21: Tyrod Taylor threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Charles Clay with 1:53 left to lead Buffalo over Houston.
Taylor finished 11 of 21 for 211 yards and three TDs and also scored on an 8-yard run. Buffalo (6-6) snapped a two-game skid and gained ground on the Texans (6-6) in the AFC playoff race. Sammy Watkins had three catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Tennessee 42, Jacksonville 39: Marcus Mariota scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 87-yard run midway through a wild fourth quarter, and Tennessee edged Jacksonville to snap its 11-game home losing streak.
Cincinnati 37, Cleveland 3: Andy Dalton threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and the Cincinnati Bengals moved closer to a playoff berth and the AFC North title with a win over woeful Cleveland, which dropped its seventh straight.
Dalton connected with A.J. Green for a 23-yard TD pass in the second quarter and the Bengals moved to 10-2 for just the second time in team history.
The Browns (2-10) lost for the second time in six days and had two more starters go down with injuries in a season that can’t end soon enough.
Tampa Bay 23, Atlanta 19: Jameis Winston threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans with 1:39 remaining to give Tampa Bay a victory over Atlanta. The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft also scored on a 5-yard run and scrambled up the middle of the field 20 yards on third-and-19 to prolong the third game-winning drive of his young career.
Miami 15, Baltimore 13: Miami intercepted a pair of deflected passes from Matt Schaub to score two touchdowns 20 seconds apart late in the first half, and held on to beat Baltimore.
The score was 0-0 when Reshad Jones intercepted a pass batted by defensive tackle Jordan Phillips to set up the game’s first score. On the next play, Ryan Tannehill hit a leaping DeVante Parker at the goal line for a 38-yard touchdown.
Three plays later, defensive end Derrick Shelby slapped a pass in the air, caught it and ran 22 yards to the end zone, with Schaub giving chase in vain.
Arizona 27, St. Louis 3: Running backs David Johnson and Kerwynn Williams scored a touchdown apiece and Arizona stuffed St. Louis. Johnson, a rookie, had 99 yards on 22 carries in his first start and caught one of two TD passes by Carson Palmer, who led an offense that rolled up 524 yards. Williams scored his first career TD on a 35-yard run.