The Carolina Panthers pulled off their biggest win of the season – and inflicted another defeat on the New England Patriots on Sunday – as Cam Newton took control of the game.

Newton threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Panthers held off a late Patriots rally to win a thrilling contest 33-30. Newton also caused a stir for non-football reasons as he raised a clenched fist after scoring the 50th rushing touchdown of his career. Earlier in the week, the quarterback said he wanted to send a message of unity after Donald Trump’s attack on NFL players who chose to protest during the national anthem.

“People feeling oppressed and people that are rich looking down on other people, you don’t get nowhere with that,” said Newton. “We all are created equal.”

NFL protests drop off but fans boo Ravens and Jags for kneeling before anthem Read more

On Sunday, Newton picked apart the Patriots with ease as the Super Bowl champions’ defense struggled again: they have now conceded more points than any other team in the NFL this season. They now have the same record (2-2) as their AFC East rivals the New York Jets, who some predicted would fail to win a game this season. The Bills lead the division with a 3-1 record.

In Sunday’s other early kick-offs, Deshaun Watson had the best game of his young career as he threw four touchdowns in the Houston Texans’ 57-14 thrashing of the Tennessee Titans. Andy Dalton also had four touchdown passes as the Bengals beat the winless Cleveland Browns 31-7. There were also wins for the Detroit Lions over the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills over the Atlanta Falcons. The Jets beat the Jaguars 23-20 thanks to an overtime field goal.

The Los Angeles Rams continued their resurgence with a comeback 35-30 win against the Dallas Cowboys, while the Pittsburgh Steelers beat their AFC North rivals 26-9.

In the later kickoffs, the Arizona Cardinals had an overtime touchdown to thank for their victory over the San Francisco 49ers, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ensured the New York Giants remain winless. The Denver Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders, and the Philadelphia Eagles topped the 0-4 Chargers.

The Seattle Seahawks often start the season slowly and they were sluggish in the first half of their Sunday Night Football match-up with the Indianapolis Colts, as they trailed 15-10. But a big third quarter, in which they piled on 22 points, helped them to a 46-18 victory. Russell Wilson was picked off twice but also threw for two touchdowns and ran in another.

Earlier the New Orleans Saints had beaten the struggling Miami Dolphins 20-0 in a poor game at Wembley.