ak said. "Its not fun to watch if youre

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton showed he has no intention of changing the way he plays the game. The fourth-year quarterback shook off some early rust and returned to his fearless style of play, helping Carolina defeat the Detroit Lions 24-7 on Sunday, capping a distraction-filled week for the Panthers. In his first start since fracturing his ribs in a preseason game, Newton threw for 281 yards and a touchdown and ran for 19 yards on four carries, He helped the Panthers improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2008 and grab sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Newton shook off a slow start and completed 22 of 34 passes and overcame five sacks. "I felt like I was getting antsy early on and that comes from a lack of playing time," Newton said. "... I was getting my feet back under me and as the game went on I started feeling more comfortable and it showed." Wearing a thick flak jacket, it took a while for Newton to find his stride. He scrambled from the pocket on one second-quarter run and dived headfirst instead of sliding. It was similar to the play against New England on Aug. 22 that left him with cracked ribs and sidelined him for the season opener against Tampa Bay. Later in the fourth quarter Newton ran again, turning the corner inside the 5 and diving toward the pylon. "He is obviously going to be sore," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "He cant help himself (and) he ran a couple of times. He did the best he could with it. The thing that Im pleased with is once he got the rust off he settled down and made some really good decisions." Earlier in the day Rivera made a difficult decision to deactivate Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy, saying that the NFL "culture has changed" and the team needed to make the right decision. The decision came one day after the Minnesota Vikings announced they would deactivate Adrian Peterson, who was indicted on child abuse charges on Saturday, Hardy was convicted July 15 on two counts of domestic violence and Rivera didnt think it was right to allow him to play given the events of the week. "It was my decision and it was in the best interest of the Carolina Panthers," Rivera said. Carolinas defence didnt seem to miss a beat. The Panthers had three takeaways, four sacks and held the Lions scoreless in the first half one week after Matthew Stafford and company put up 35 points against the Giants. Mario Addison helped fill the void left by Hardy with 2 1/2 sacks, and cornerback Antoine Cason had 10 tackles, two forced fumbles and a recovery. The Panthers were a plus-3 in the turnover battle for the second straight week. "We turned the ball over too many times, particularly in scoring territory," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. The Lions (1-1) took a 7-6 lead early in the third quarter when Stafford connected on a 1-yard touchdown pass to fullback Jed Collins, who bowled over NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly en route to the end zone. But the lead was short-lived. Newton bounced back, leading the Panthers on an eight-play, 72-yard drive, connecting on his first TD pass of the season, a 14-yard strike to Jason Avant on a slant route. Thomas DeCoud tipped a deep ball from Stafford and Melvin White intercepted to set up Carolinas next score. Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who struggled with dropped balls all day, hauled in a one-handed grab along the left sideline. Jonathan Stewart capped the drive with a 2-yard run and Newton threw to Jerricho Cotchery for a 2-point conversion to put Carolina up 21-7. The Panthers put the game away in the fourth quarter when Jeremy Ross fumbled a kickoff that kicker Graham Gano recovered. Gano added his third field goal of the game for the final score. The Lions failed to take advantage of their scoring opportunities in the first half, setting the tone for the game. Rookie Nate Freese missed two field goals, Joique Bell fumbled in Carolina territory and Johnson dropped a potential TD catch. "When you dont take advantage of your opportunities you miss chances and turn the ball over, youre not going to have a good day," Stafford said. NOTES: Newton apologized to Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh after the game, saying he didnt mean anything offensive earlier in the week when he referred to him as "Donkey Kong Suh." ... Caldwell said he "wont make any rash decisions" on whether to keep Freese as the kicker after his two misses. ... Lions cornerback Nevin Lawson was carted off the field with a foot injury and did not return. Alfredo Talavera Jersey . The Argentina striker has not played for the Premier League leaders since September when he refused to warm up during a Champions League match and only returned last week from a three-month unauthorized absence at home. City coach Roberto Mancini had initially told Tevez he would never play for City again after his act of public insubordination, but later softened his stance and only asked for an apology. Guillermo Ochoa Jersey . Born in Berkeley and raised in Oakland, where he later pitched for the As, Ross beat the Giants for the first time in six career appearances by throwing eight scoreless innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 victory Friday night. http://www.soccermexicojerseysteamshop. ... co-jersey/. Directly ahead was open field, the end zone and the Seattle Seahawks place in the NFC championship game. Cuauhtemoc Blanco Jersey . After two months of mediocrity, perhaps the Washington Nationals have turned the page. Strasburg struck out 11 in seven innings Wednesday night and the Nationals kept the Philadelphia Phillies bats quiet yet again in an 8-4, rain-interrupted win. Carlos Pena Jersey . - The New Orleans Saints have re-signed receiver Joseph Morgan for one year and have agreed to a four-year deal with free agent fullback Erik Lorig.TORONTO -- Tyler Bozak isnt yet on the cusp of returning. But when hes eligible to come off long-term injured reserve Dec. 29, the Toronto Maple Leafs centre figures his torn oblique will be healed up enough to get back into the lineup. "Its still getting better every day. It feels pretty good now," Bozak said Thursday. "If theres a problem, maybe, but right now it looks like Ill be back right when IR ends." Bozak has been out since Dec. 5 and missed Torontos home game Thursday night against Phoenix. And with the Leafs having placed him on the long-term list, Bozak must also miss upcoming games against Detroit, the New York Rangers and Buffalo before being free to return against Carolina three days before the Winter Classic. The 27-year-old skated with teammates Thursday at the Air Canada Centre but hes obviously on his own track while the Leafs seek to reverse their fortunes. After missing 12 games earlier this year with a hamstring injury, Bozak is dealing with another difficult problem with his oblique. "Kind of like the same thing last year but a lot worse this year," he said. "I dont know what it is, to be honest. "I kind of stressed it a lot on faceoffs. I think it mightve happened on that. I think its just pretty unlucky and nothing you can get too down on yourself about." Bozaks injury came with the Leafs already missing centre Dave Bolland, who still hasnt resumed skating after haviing a tendon in the back of his ankle severed in late October.dddddddddddd The latest injury down the middle came Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers when impressive journeyman callup Trevor Smith broke a bone in his right hand blocking a shot. "I dont know whats going on with us," Bozak said of Torontos injury woes. "I think its all been pretty unfortunate stuff with Smitty and Bolly, things that you never want to see happen and they cant really control by any means." Bozak cant control much right now other than his rehab. Being forced to watch the Leafs go 3-5-0 without him certainly hasnt helped matters. "Its not fun to watch, its never fun to watch," Bozak said. "Its not fun to watch if youre winning or if youre losing. "Obviously you want to be out there helping the guys and stuff like that." Bozak is used to being able to help, typically as the No. 1 centre alongside roommate and friend Phil Kessel, who had two goals in the eight games prior to Thursdays contest with Phoenix. Bozak hasnt had any season like this before and is trying to stay positive. "Ive not really been injured at all, knock on wood, except for college I had surgery on my one knee the one year," he said. "My first years here I missed a handful of games each year, but nothing too serious. "Obviously its been tough, but I hope I can come back stronger and help the team." Black China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL T-shirts Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo ' ' '