TAMPA, Fla. - Football may well be the ultimate team sport, but Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has been asking his players to be selfish – for the sake of the team.
So when quarterback Cam Newton set an individual record with his 13th rushing touchdown to cap the Panthers' 38-19 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, the rambunctious rookie got to celebrate – with his teammates.
"It does mean something – I'm not going to stand up here and lie – but I'm not focusing on individual things because it's still 11-on-11," said Newton, who scored three touchdowns on the ground to help the Panthers win consecutive games for the first time since 2009 and escape the NFC South cellar. "I don't think I would have got the credit I'm getting right now if not for the other 10 guys out there, most importantly the other five guys that are blocking their tails off each and every snap.
"The focus going into this game was everybody doing their job - Coach Rivera spoke on that last night. They called my number, and I just focused on doing my job and getting the football in the end zone."
Carolina (4-8) has won two road games in a row for the first time since 2009, when they won at Tampa Bay and at Arizona in Weeks 6 and 8 with a home game in between. It marks the first time since 2007 the Panthers have won road games on back-to-back Sundays, an impressive recovery from a taxing loss at Detroit two weeks ago.
"Three weeks on the road is tough, so to be able to finish it off with two wins is big," said rookie defensive end Thomas Keiser, who recorded his first career interception and also picked up a sack. "Now we get to come back to our house and try to make the best of that opportunity."
The Panthers led all day but couldn't fully shake free in the first half thanks to Tampa Bay's field goal kicker, but the Panthers put their foot down in the second half.
Carolina tallied three touchdowns before halftime without giving up a single one, yet the lead was tenuous thanks to four field goals of 44 or more yards by kicker Connor Barth that left the Buccaneers within 24-12.
Tampa Bay, behind backup quarterback Josh Johnson, drove to Carolina's 30-yard line to open the second half. That's when Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy hit Johnson – who was filling in for injured starter Josh Freeman - as he threw, allowing Keiser to snag the wobbling ball.
The Panthers offense then took the ball 61 yards in six plays to extend the lead to 31-12. Newton hit wide receiver Brandon LaFell for a 28-yard gain and rushed 20 yards on an option keeper to the 3 to set himself up for a 1-yard touchdown run.
Early in the fourth quarter, Newton found the end zone for the third time on another 1-yard run, this one capping a 15-play, 91-yard march for a 38-12 lead. The touchdown established a NFL record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season, breaking the previous mark of 12 by Steve Grogan of the New England Patriots in 1976.
Newton finished with 54 rushing yards on 14 carries and completed 12-of-21 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
"In certain situations, you want the ball in your best player's hands," Rivera said. "In terms of a run-pass option, that's what he gives us."
Both teams scored four times in the first half, but while all of Tampa Bay's scoring drives ended with field goals, the Panthers kicked nothing but extra points before a field goal drive in the final seconds put them ahead 24-12 at the break.
The Panthers came out on fire, racking up 126 yards on a pair of touchdown drives while limiting the Buccaneers to minus-15 yards in between to build a 14-0 lead.
First, running plays of 19 and 31 yards for Jonathan Stewart, sandwiched between a 21-yard pass to tight end Greg Olsen, led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Newton. Then, a 27-yard pass from wide receiver Legedu Naanee to Newton after Newton had tossed a lateral to Naanee set up Stewart to score from a yard out.
Tampa Bay eventually got some things going on offense, but the Panthers defense didn't allow a touchdown until the outcome was decided. And even with starting defensive end Sione Fua sidelined by a hamstring injury suffered in pregame warmups and fellow starter Terrell McClain missing most of the game with a knee injury, Carolina held bruising running back LeGarrette Blount to 19 yards on 11 carries.
"We were able to translate practice over to the game today," Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams said. "Coach has been telling us all year, 'All we have to do is come out and play Carolina Panthers football.' We came out and did that."