CHARLOTTE - -- Jared Goff threw for 186 yards and a touchdown, Malcolm Brown ran for a pair of scores, and the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams spoiled Cam Newton's return with a 30-27 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Todd Gurley started and ran for 97 yards on 14 carries after being limited to 8 yards rushing on five carries in the first half. Brown was the primary ball carrier for the better part of three quarters and finished with 53 yards on 11 carries.
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Christian McCaffrey led the Panthers with 209 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
It was a rough day for Newton, playing in his first regular-season game since Dec. 17, when a lingering shoulder injury forced him to the sideline. Newton completed 25 of 38 passes for 239 yards, but had a costly backward pass that resulted in a fumble deep in Carolina territory, and a fourth-quarter interception.
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He rarely threw deep downfield.
With the Panthers trailing 23-13 early in the fourth quarter, Jermaine Carter blocked Johnny Hekker's punt and the Panthers recovered at the Rams 5 yard line. McCaffrey scored on a 2-yard run two plays later.