Cam Continues MVP Campaign, Keeps Panthers Undefeated with 4th-Quarter Heroics

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers didn't need to be perfect Sunday against the New Orleans Saints to remain perfect this season. All the team needed was another MVP performance from its quarterback. 

Even when one of the league's best defenses didn't play well, Newton rose to the occasion and carried his team to a 41-38 victory. 

Four fourth-quarter lead changes occurred before the Panthers could leave the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a 12-0 record. 

"It wasn't pretty," Newton told Erin Andrews after the game on the Fox telecast. "We didn't start out fast like we wanted to, yet at the end of the day, we knew we had a team full of resilient guys. We just needed to finish."  

Newton certainly wasn't at his best, either. At least, he didn't start well.

An ill-placed pass on an out route resulted in an interception from Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux (which eventually became a missed field goal). New Orleans did build an early 14-0 lead before the Panthers finally came out swinging. 

As the cliche states, "It's not how you start. It's how you finish." Newton dominated when the game was on the line despite multiple missed opportunities. 

Late in the contest, the team's No. 1 wide receiver, Ted Ginn, couldn't haul in a pair of deep passes. Newton still made two key plays during the final drive, though. 

On 4th-and-4 just before the two-minute warning, the mobile quarterback connected with his favorite target, tight end Greg Olsen, for a 16-yard completion. It wasn't a beautiful throw by any means and Olsen made a brilliant catch, but Newton helped to keep the play alive by rolling to his left, avoiding pressure and lofting the ball just high enough over a dropping linebacker to find the open target. 

An even more impressive pass came three plays later. 

With one minute and five seconds remaining, Newton dropped back to pass and found veteran receiver Jerricho Cotchery for what wound up being the game-winning 15-yard touchdown. The NFL's official Twitter feed provided a look at the play: 

What's so impressive about this particular throw is the fact Ginn was Newton's initial read to the left of the formation. Ginn ran an out-and-up route, but he never created any separation. Newton quickly looked off the speedy receiver and came back to the other side of the field to find a one-on-one matchup between Cotchery and Saints cornerback Chris Owens. 

"I knew it was good money," Cotchery said after the game, per Panthers.com's Max Henson. "Man coverage."

Newton delivered a rocket for the game-winning score. 

All told, the quarterback completed 28 of 41 passes for 331 yards and five touchdowns. More importantly, he was 5-of-5 passing for 50 yards and four touchdowns in the red zone. 

The Panthers offense might not have been clicking on all cylinders, particularly with the deep passes, but it still proved to be far more than the Saints' woeful defense could handle.

In fact, Sunday's performance became the fifth time this season the Panthers scored 33 or more points in a game, including the three most recent contests. 

Newton threw five touchdown passes in two of those three games. These types of performances continue to elevate his status as an MVP candidate.

Some, such as Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz, still question where the Panthers quarterback stands among other top performers on the league's best teams: 

There is some merit to what Schatz said. The Panthers defense is one of the league's best. But even the league's best defenses let down their teams from time to time. 

For example, the Saints offense managed 334 total yards Sunday and scored 22 points in the second half. New Orleans would have escaped with a victory if Newton and the offense didn't respond a final time. 

However, the Heisman Trophy winner doesn't fit traditional standards at the quarterback position. 

He's not going to sit back in the pocket and pick apart defenses like Tom Brady. His throwing motion and mechanics aren't as pretty as Carson Palmer's, either. These things tend to be held against him. 

Pro Football Focus noted his less-than-stellar completion percentage entering Sunday's contest: 

Yet, the reality doesn't always reflect the narrative.

During the course of the season, the Auburn product has completed 58.4 percent of his passes. Over the last four games, though, Newton completed 67.7 percent of his passes. It's a scary thought, but he's getting better as the season progresses.  

What is Brady's completion percentage over his last four games? 54.7 percent. 

Palmer? 62.7 percent. 

Yes, Brady and Palmer are asked to throw the ball more often, but Newton's 11 touchdown passes in that same span is more than both of the traditional pocket passers. 

They're also asked to create far less in other areas of the game. The Carolina quarterback added 133 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground during the aforementioned time frame. 

As the 26-year-old quarterback continues to grow and improve on a weekly basis, he still feels some have it out for him this season, per the Charlotte Observer's Joe Person: 

Whether you like him or hate him, no one can deny what Newton and the Panthers are doing. They're the league's only undefeated team, while every other franchise already experienced at least two losses. The dual-threat signal-caller continues to get better as his team runs away with its third straight NFC South division title. 

Newton isn't simply an MVP candidate; he's building momentum as the favorite. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.