The Panthers defense gave up points in the first half for the first time in three weeks, but in beating the Raiders 17-6 in Carolina on Sunday, they held an opponent below 10 points for the second straight week after doing it last Sunday against the Chargers.

The Panthers (6-9) also knocked QB Carson Palmer out of the game and intercepted backup Matt Leinart. The Raiders fell to 4-11.

QB Cam Newton passed for 170 yards and a touchdown and had his team-record streak of passes without an interception snapped at 176. Newton was also the team’s leading rusher with 12 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown. Newton needs 203 yards in the final game of the season to break Peyton Manning’s record of 7,874 yards in his first two NFL seasons.

When the game turned: After a 76-yard touchdown run by RB DeAngelo Williams on the second play of the game was wiped out by a holding penalty by WR Steve Smith, the Panthers’ opening drive ended with a punt. Carolina got the ball back, and Smith made up for his mistake by getting back-to-back catches to go the final 39 yards, ending with a 23-yard touchdown catch. That gave Carolina a lead they never relinquished.

Highlight moments: With 2:06 left in the first and Oakland trailing by 7, Raiders QB Palmer was hit by DE Greg Hardy after throwing a pass. Hardy got flagged, but Palmer, who was 3 for 3 for 31 yards at the time, was forced to leave the game and never returned. Backup QB Leinart was 16 of 32 for 116 yards. … Carolina has been plagued by blown late leads all year, and when a drive stalled with 2:46 remaining in the game and the Panthers clinging to an 8-point lead, it looked like another opponent would have the chance to rally. But K Graham Gano connected on a 51-yard field goal to give Carolina a two-possession lead.

Top-shelf performances:

  • Panthers QB Newton -- 18 of 29 for 170 yards, 1 TD, 1 interception, 12 rushes for 60 yards, TD

     
  • Panthers WR Smith -- 4 catches for 45 yards, TD


  • Panthers LB Luke Kuechly -- 9 tackles, 4 assists, 1 interception

What they said about Kuechly's play:

  • Panthers interim GM Brandon Beane -- "Luke is a student of the game. He’s a natural leader. Some guys are born with it. There were a couple times he lined guys up. He moved Mario Addison a few gaps over before one play, and the running back ran right into him. Luke won’t get credit for the tackle, but he made the play as much as Mario did.”

     
  • Panthers coach Ron Rivera -- “He’s a good player, and he can get even better."

     
  • Panthers OT Jordan Gross -- "Great interception by Luke. He does that all the time in practice. I told him it wasn’t illegal to do that in a game."

What they said about all the penalties and rough play:

  • Panthers GM Beane -- “I thought it was chippy all day -- a lot of tough calls. I thought Greg Hardy’s hit (that injured Palmer) was a great hit.”


  • Panthers OT Gross -- “That’s a team that Al Davis built, and every year, they’re going to be physical and try to intimidate us. They were talking a lot, and so were we.”
What they said about the Panthers' offensive line:
  • Panthers OT Gross -- “It was a little bit of a makeshift offensive line today. We had to play musical chairs a little bit.”

     
  • Panthers GM Beane -- "Guys battled hard. We had a hard time running the ball. We had three guys battling flu this week, and then Amini went out on our first drive. Thomas (Austin) went in, and we had to put in Bruce Campbell a little too. It’s tough when you don’t have the same five guys. We’ve been shuttling guys in all season. "

Numbers you should know: The Panthers had 10 penalties for 97 yards, and the two teams combined for 16 penalties for 167 yards. … Carolina PR Joe Adams has fumbled the ball every 7 times he’s touched the ball this season.

Injury update: Raiders -- QB Palmer left the game after a late hit and never returned. … Panthers -- OG Amini Silatolu left the game with an injured wrist. After the game, the team said he’d likely miss the final game of the season.

Going forward: Raiders -- Oakland closes the season with a game at division rival San Diego. Panthers -- Carolina closes the season at New Orleans. The Panthers will be looking to get their first four-game winning streak since Weeks 7 through 10 of the 2008 season.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow @CBSPanthers.

Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter @CBSRaiders.