CHARLOTTE – After doing something Sunday that no one has ever done in an NFL game, quarterback Cam Newton has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
With 340 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and five passing touchdowns in the Panthers' 38-35 victory at the New York Giants, Newton became the first player in NFL history to throw for 300, run for 100 and throw five touchdowns in one game.
This is the seventh time Newton has won the weekly honor and the seventh time a Carolina player has been honored this season – both team records. Newton also is the first Panther to win the award four times in one season, surpassing the previous team record of three by running back Stephen Davis in 2003.
As impressive as Newton's unprecedented stat line Sunday, his greatest feat may have been driving the Panthers into field goal range in the final seconds to set up Graham Gano for the game-winning field goal on the game's last play. The dramatic victory improved the Panthers to 14-0, making them just the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to win their first 14 games of the season.
Newton has now thrown five touchdown passes in three of his last five games after not doing it once over his first 71 games. He's one short of Peyton Manning's NFL record of four games with five or more touchdown passes in a season.
