Cam Newton and Panthers rout Redskins 44-1

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. - has never liked being referred to as a running quarterback. "I have labelled myself as a pocket pa ser with the ability to run," Newton said. Newton proved again he can beat teams with his arm, throwing a career-high five touchdown pa ses on Sunday and the improved to 10-0 with a dominating 44-16 win over the . Newton completed 21 of 34 pa ses for 246 yards and threw TD pa ses to five different receivers as Carolina stretched its regular-season win streak to 14 games, including eight straight at home. The opened a four-game lead in the NFC South over Atlanta and became the 16th team in the era to start 10-0. Of the previous 15, all made the playoffs and nine have advanced to the , with six winning it all. All of that matters little to tight end . "They don't give out trophies for the regular season," Olsen said. Carolina's defense was dominant. They forced five turnovers leading to 27 points, had five sacks of and established a franchise Pooka Williams Jr. Jersey record by holding the to 14 yards rushing on 12 carries. "Between the fumbles and the picks, we had a couple short fields," Olsen said. "You've got to take advantage of them. We didn't sit on them. I know we scored a lot of touchdowns, and that's obviously what you're looking for." Newton became the first Carolina quarterback in franchise history to throw four TD pa ses in the first half as the jumped out to a 31-14 lead. ran for 102 yards on 21 carries and caught a 12-yard touchdown pa s. Olsen, , Jr. and also caught TD pa ses. "He has a good command of what we're doing out there," Rivera said of Newton, who has 20 TD pa ses this season - four shy of his career high with six games left to play. had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for the (4-6), who've lost nine straight on the road. Cousins finished 22 of 30 for 207 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also fumbled twice on sacks. Running back left the game early in the first quarter with a rib injury and did not return. With the game tied at 14 in the second quarter, Newton led an eight-play, 92-yard touchdown drive, capping it with a 2-yard TD pa s to Ginn. The had a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback called back on the drive when officials ruled he had delivered an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit on Olsen before the interception. The game turned from there with the scoring 30 consecutive points. "That's a 14-point turn right there," coach Jay Gruden said. "The referee made a decision, made a call, and it's not challengeable, so there's really no use talking about it." On Washington's next po se sion, rookie was stripped of the ball by and recovered at the 24. Newton found Olsen on a cro sing route for a 9-yard TD pa s to push the lead to 28-14. had a strip-sack of Cousins on Washington's next po se sion and recovered the ball at the Carolina 38 leading to 's field goal at the end of the first half. Carolina's momentum carried into the second half as Bene Benwikere sacked Cousins on the first play from scrimmage on a cornerback blitz, jarring the ball loose and recovering at the 20. Newton found Funche s for his franchise-tying fifth TD pa s of the game to give Carolina a 38-14 lead. With a game on Thursday at Dallas, coach Ron Rivera removed most of his starters early in the fourth quarter with his team up 44-14. "They're undefeated for a reason," Cousins said. "It doesn't just happen on accident. They have great players and a great scheme, and they have several players who've played in this system for several years. You see the fruit of that in how they've played this season." Washington's lo s comes one week after a 47-14 win over the . "Last week, we felt pretty good - top of the mountain," Gruden said. "It's a humbling game." NOTES: Roberts' 99-yard kickoff for a touchdown was the first allowed by the in 100 games. ... Olsen became the career leader in yards receiving by a tight end, pa sing Wesley Walls. ... The have run for at least 100 yards in 21 straight games.Copyright 2015 by The A sociated Pre s Khalid Kareem Jersey