Carolina Panthers Remain Undefeated, and It's Not All Cam Newton's Doing

A lot has been made of the fact that superstar Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton isn't surrounded by many established offensive weapons, and that's a big reason why Newton is getting MVP love with his team unbeaten at the conclusion of October. 

Despite less-than-stellar numbers, Newton deserves to be an MVP candidate, because he's the heart and soul of a 6-0 team that unquestionably would be closer to .500 without him. But in their 27-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night, the Panthers proved to a national audience that they're about a lot more than just Newton. 

It was a quintessential team win for Carolina, with Newton coming out on top despite completing just 14 passes and throwing three interceptions while rushing for just 20 yards. 

It was by no means an awful night for Newton, but the 26-year-old two-time Pro Bowler wasn't Superman like he was last week in Seattle. 

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

That wasn't necessary because backs Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert rushed for 141 yards on 27 carries, with receiver Ted Ginn chipping in with 102 yards (43 of which came on a rush) on six touches. Ginn, tight end Greg Olsen and receivers Corey Brown and Devin Funchess all had key catches for 20-plus yards, with Tolbert stepping up with a team-defining touchdown on which he refused to be tackled by a pack of Eagles at the Philly goal line. 

And it wasn't necessary because Carolina's defense held Philadelphia's high-powered, star-studded offense to just a touchdown and three field goals, making just one significant mistake on a night that featured crisp tackling, constant pressure and top-notch coverage. 

Linebackers Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, who combined for 19 tackles, put together two of the best defensive performances of the 2015 season, while top cornerback Josh Norman was once again unbeatable for most of the night. Throw in five sacks—three of which came from defensive tackle Kawann Short—and it was easy for Panthers fans to forget all about injured Pro Bowl-caliber pass-rusher Charles Johnson and his injured cohorts, Dwan Edwards and Shaq Thompson. 

Did it help that the Eagles dropped a lot of passes? Absolutely, but anytime you can beat a quality opponent despite having your quarterback throw three interceptions (they've now won back-to-back games despite losing the turnover battle by a margin of 5-1 in those affairs), you're doing something right. 

Newton isn't exactly playing behind a star-studded offensive line, but that no-name unit—which entering Week 7 had been responsible for just seven hits on Newton all season, per Pro Football Focus—was stellar as well Sunday night, giving up just one sack and a handful of pressures against a defense that has developed a hell of a reputation for making big plays. 

No Johnson, no Kelvin Benjamin, and a less-than-100-percent Kuechly, but everything was still clicking, and it started with Stewart's first 100-yard effort of the 2015 campaign. 

"Stewart played with a chip on his shoulder and made life very easy for the whole offense to keep going," Newton said after the game on NBC. "Tolbert played with a passion today especially with how emotional he was after the passing of his uncle. And the offensive line, they make my job so easy. Philly [Brown] made plays, Ted [Ginn] made plays, [Jerricho] Cotchery made plays. It was a combined team win."

Category	Total
Combined 2015 record of opponents*	15-19
Combined 2014 record of opponents	43-53
Turnovers on offense	8
Turnovers not committed by Newton	0
Games with 24+ points allowed	0
Takeaways on defense	12
Players on injured reserve	9

With Newton a little off and Philly getting more opportunities, the Panthers converted just two third downs all night, yet the Eagles were just 7-for-18 in those spots. And aside from that key mistake—which resulted in a 63-yard Ryan Mathews touchdown—they held DeMarco Murray, Mathews and Darren Sproles to just 108 combined rushing yards on 26 carries. 

Kuechly, who missed three games earlier this season due to a concussion and had to don a harness after suffering a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter, made four separate stops within a yard of the line of scrimmage.

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

And yet he wasn't even Carolina's best defensive player Sunday night, because Short had three sacks and a forced fumble, Norman—who might be an All-Pro when this year is out—prevented a potentially game-changing touchdown with a freakish pass breakup at the end of the first half, and Davis had a team-high 11 tackles while helping make eight stops within three yards of the line of scrimmage. 

Newton is still the bread and butter of this team—the "thoroughbred," as general manager Dave Gettleman calls him. But this is the ultimate team game, and while it's true that you can no longer win without a quarterback, the reality is you're just as hopeless if that's all you've got.

The Panthers no longer have to worry about either problem. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.