miaowang123: as the final racer knocked the A

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CHARLOTTE, N. Edmonton Oilers Shirts .C. -- Cam Newton wasnt flawless on Sunday. He didnt need to be. Newton threw for one touchdown and ran for another to overcome a shaky start, the defence intercepted Matt Ryan three times and the Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-10 for their fourth straight victory. Offensive tackle Jordan Gross was more impressed with Newton on Sunday than in the previous three games in which the third-year quarterback played near-perfect ball. "There were times today where he could have gotten rattled," Gross said. "He took some shots and had some turnovers, but he didnt (get rattled). He kept on swinging." Newton entered on quite a streak, completing 77 per cent of his passes with eight touchdowns -- six passing and two rushing -- and no turnovers in his previous three games. But he had two first half interceptions and wasnt sharp on his deep balls, regularly overthrowing his receivers. "He got a little carried away early on and tried to make things happen," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "The ball sailed a little bit on him today and when hes doing that its because hes anxious. Hes excited. He wants to do well. Its unfortunate that he didnt bring the ball down a little bit because there were some big plays left out there." Still, Newton bounced back to throw for 249 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen, and also scored on an 8-yard run. Newton called his play "unacceptable." "I didnt put my best foot forward in the first half," he said. But his teammates were quick to back him up. "Everybody gets wrapped up in stats and quarterback ratings and yards per catch or whatever," Olsen said. "At the end of the day, when you go out and you win 34-10 and you are the quarterback -- you did your job." The Panthers (5-3) pulled within a game of the New Orleans Saints, who lost to the New York Jets. Fullback Mike Tolbert scored his fifth touchdown in the last four games on a 4-yard burst and cornerback Drayton Florence intercepted Ryan and returned it 38 yards for a score to seal the win. At 2-6, the Falcons post-season hopes are fading fast. The Falcons continued to struggle without Julio Jones and Roddy White. Tony Gonzalez had six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown but the running game continues to struggle as Steven Jackson and company were held to a combined 78 yards on the ground. The Panthers defence limited Ryan to 219 yards and forced four turnovers -- three interceptions. "I know Matt. Hes going to look at this film. Hes going to obsess over it," Gonzalez said. "I have no doubt hes going to bounce back." The Panthers got a huge break early in the fourth quarter. Leading 17-10, Carolinas Brandon LaFell broke free in Atlanta territory for a big gain but had the ball punched out from behind by cornerback Asante Samuel. The Falcons had a chance to recover, but the ball bounced right back into LaFells arms while he was on the ground. Newton scored on an 8-yard run on the next play to give Carolina a 24-10 lead with nine minutes remaining. "When youre winning, things happen in your favour," LaFell said. "With all of the bad luck around here last year, that thing would have been lost. We got the luck of the bounce." The Panthers put the game away on the next possession when Florence stepped in front of Ryans pass in the flat and returned it for the score -- the first "pick 6" allowed by the Falcons since 2010, a span of 47 games. "If you play sports long enough, there will be ups and downs, and waves throughout that," Ryan said. "Ive played poorly before, but its about trying to stop that at one, and moving on. I wasnt able to do that." Carolina led 14-10 at halftime despite the two interceptions by Newton. Newtons 13-quarter streak of turnover-free football ended when he went long for Ted Ginn Jr. and was intercepted by Desmond Trufant in the second quarter. Newton turned it over again in the final seconds of the first half on an interception by rookie Robert Alford in the back of the end zone, ending a golden scoring opportunity. Atlantas only touchdown of the game came when Ryan hooked up on a 17-yard strike with Gonzalez in the back of the end zone. The Falcons might have had more, but Steven Jacksons 2-yard touchdown run was nullified on a holding penalty on lineman Garrett Reynolds forcing the Falcons to settle for a Matt Bryant field goal. NOTES: The Panthers lost starting right guard Chris Scott and backup Jeff Byers to injuries on Sunday, forcing them to use former defensive tackle Nate Chandler at that spot. ... The Panthers have led at halftime in all eight games this season. ... Jonathan Stewart had 43 yards rushing on nine carries and 22 yards receiving on three catches in his first game this season for the Panthers. Stitched Oilers Jerseys . Not sure yet. #livetweetingthegreatuntangle — Strombone (@strombone1) April 17, 2014 Stage three, coping: I feel like I could use a cigarette or something. Edmonton Oilers Gear .C. -- Marcus Paige and his North Carolina teammates have endured so many wild swings -- big wins, surprising losses, NCAA drama -- that no one can blame their Hall of Fame coach for wondering whats next.LENZERHEIDE, Switzerland - Marcel Hirscher beat Felix Neureuther in a testy Austria vs. Germany duel for the World Cup slalom title on Sunday. Racing last as the controversial first-run leader, Hirscher finished 0.76 seconds inside Neureuthers time to overtake his rival in the standings. Hirscher then circled the finish area in a wide sweep, pounding his chest with his right fist in celebration. Earlier, Austrian and German team bosses had traded barbs before the decisive run over a first-run gate-setting design by one of Hirschers coaches. "At the end, everything is fine," said Hirscher, who added his second straight slalom trophy to the third straight overall title he clinched Saturday. Neureuther said he had been "quite mad" after his first run, but acknowledged Hirscher as a worthy winner. "A very, very tough end," said Neureuther, who was denied his first season-long title. "The last race was maybe the most difficult of the whole year. The best won and it was Marcel." Olympic champion Mario Matt was third, trailing 1.08 behind his Austrian teammates two-run time of 2 minutes, 7.74 seconds. Hirscher had led by 0.06 on the morning course. He raced first on the best snow through a gate-setting by an Austria coach that was branded unfair and ugly by Neureuthers team director, Wolfgang Maier, and ridiculous by American racer Ted Ligety. Austria team director Hans Pum defended its right to set any course within the rules. "I can understand it a bit," said Hirscher, of the anger also expressed by the France team. Oilers Jerseys China. "The course setter will always try to set for his athlete." Still, Hirscher fully earned his third slalom victory this season on a less challenging second-run course set by the Sweden team. Neureuther stood hunched resting on his ski poles in the finish area to watch Hirscher race for the title. They were locked on the same time at the final check point, but Neureuther had lost speed through the last six gates and Hirschers smoother run carried him to a clear winning margin. The new champion first greeted Matt, who beat him to the Olympic title last month, before going to console Neureuther. "Its fine," between us, Neureuther said, "because Marcel wasnt setting the first run today." On Saturday, Neureuther had denied Hirscher the season-long giant slalom title by the minimum 0.01 margin. Then, the Germans third-place finish as the final racer knocked the Austrian down to fourth and into a points tie with Ligety. The American got that title on a tiebreaker — 5-2 on race wins — over Hirscher. Germanys Maier earlier revealed that Austria considered a formal protest Saturday against Neureuthers skis. Had he been disqualified, Hirscher would have taken Ligetys title. "When they win everything, everything is fine," Maier said, describing the Austria team as "the most unfair nation. Always they are finding something to show not really good sportsmanship." ' ' '