HOUSTON — Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes, DeAngelo Williams ran for a score and the Carolina Panthers ended Houston’s seven-game winning streak with a 28-13 victory over the Texans on Sunday.
Newton completed 13-of-23 passes for 149 yards, outplaying opposing rookie quarterback T.J. Yates. The Panthers (5-9) built a 21-0 halftime lead, then ended Houston’s second-half rally when linebacker James Anderson intercepted Yates in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.
The Texans (10-4) are playing for home-field advantage in the playoffs after clinching the AFC South last weekend.
But their top-ranked defense looked vulnerable without coordinator Wade Phillips, who’s on medical leave after kidney and gallbladder surgery last week. Linebackers coach Reggie Herring made the defensive calls Sunday.
Houston gave up only 316 yards, but Carolina converted two Texans turnovers into 14 points.
“I just think the overall theme of the day was, we gave up big plays and there were discipline parts of the game that we were not very disciplined on, as we have been throughout the year,” Herring said. “We obviously didn’t execute very well.”
