NFL: Carolina Panthers take ontroversial win over New England Patriots

The Carolina Panthers picked up their sixth straight win last night, beating the New England Patriots 24-20.

The win didn’t come without controversy though as  Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were left wondering why a penalty that could have saved them on the final play was wiped out.

Cam Newton threw his third touchdown pass with less than a minute to play.

Newton, who also threw TD passes for Brandon LaFell and Greg Olsen, picked out Ted Ginn Jr from 25 yards with 59 seconds on the clock to secure the win for the Panthers after Stephen Gostkowski’s field goal had put the Patriots 20-17 in front.

Tom Brady threw for 296 yards and a touchdown, and led the Patriots on a drive to the Carolina 18 in the dying seconds but his pass was intercepted.

Officials initially called interference but hastily picked up the penalty flag to signal the end of the game and confirm Carolina’s sixth straight victory.

The victory has improved the Panthers to 7-3 on the season keeping them one game behind the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints while the AFC East Patriots also have the same record, but they retain a two-game lead over the New York Jets.

“Cam did the things he needed to do to put us in position to win the football game. It has a lot to do with his maturity that we have talked about,” said Panthers coach Ron Rivera.