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LANDOVER, Md. – Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton spoke earlier in the week, in anticipation of Sunday’s game at FedEx Field, about how loud Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman can be on the football field. He spoke from personal experience, having been a teammate of Norman’s from 2012 through the 2015 season. “He gets into your personal bubble, like when you’re talking face to face," Newton said. “I don’t like that. Every person has a bubble. Josh is one to get all in your bubble and talk." On Sunday, Norman helped burst Carolina’s bubble. He did it with his play, not his mouth, forcing two of three Carolina first-half turnovers to help the Redskins build a 17-0 cushion en route to a 23-17 victory. What little noise Norman made verbally came at the end after it was clear the Redskins (3-2) had won following three failed pass attempts by Newton from the Washington 16 in the final minute.  The only noise that bothered Newton then was sound of losing, but he didn’t let it steal from Norman’s moment. “I just told him to keep that same energy," Newton said of Norman, who also had a first-half interception to stop a Carolina drive. “But they got the juice. They won. Ain’t no need for me talking. I don’t have to have no Twitter feeds for nobody." The noise coming into the game involved the return of Carolina Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis and Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, and the boost they would give heading into a stretch of four road games in six weeks. There was mostly silence afterward, as Carolina (3-2) missed an opportunity to position itself as a front-runner in the NFC heading into next Sunday’s game at defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia (3-3). Now it's just one of many teams in a pack of contenders. Players and coaches knew this was a chance to make a statement. The Redskins were playing on a short week after a demoralizing loss at New Orleans, and they were without several key offensive weapons. Instead, the Panthers came out flat and played their sloppiest half of the year. First-round draft pick DJ Moore, who had shown signs of making an impact the previous two games, fumbled Washington’s first punt to set up a quick, 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis. With Carolina trailing 14-0, Moore fumbled again while trying to gain yards after the catch when Norman used the “Peanut Punch" former Panthers corner Charles “Peanut" Tillman taught him in 2015. That led to a field goal and 17-0 deficit. The Panthers finally scored before the half, but even that came with a mistake. Graham Gano missed the extra point a week after his 63-yard field goal with one second left led to a 33-31 victory over the New York Giants. “They took advantage of costly mistakes we made, and it cost us at the end," Carolina coach Ron Rivera said. Rivera said a week ago that winning sometimes can cover up mistakes. He knew Carolina was lucky to escape with a victory. Nothing the Panthers did in this one covered up the mistakes that got them in such a hole. “You can’t shoot yourself in the foot early as a football team and try to crawl back and win the game late," Davis said. “We had a chance in the end. But at the end of the day, it really boils down to us minimizing the mistakes that ultimately led to us losing."
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