Steve Smith caught five passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and Mike Tolbert added a rushing score for the Panthers (3-3), who reached the .500 mark for the first time since finishing 8-8 in 2009.

St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford was 21-of-30 for 255 yards with a touchdown and an interception before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter. The Rams (3-4) entered the game ranked third in the NFL in the red zone but came away with just one touchdown in three trips.

Munnerlyn picked off Bradford and went 45 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage as the defenses set the tone early. The Rams cut it to 7-2 when Eugene Sims tackled Tolbert in the end zone, but Carolina's defense came up with the bulk of the big plays and forced three turnovers.

Neither team scored an offensive touchdown until Tolbert's 1-yard plunge capped an 80-yard drive to give Carolina a 17-5 lead with 1:05 left before halftime. The Panthers found some consistency on offense after the break, as Newton's 19-yard touchdown pass to Smith was sandwiched between a pair of Graham Gano field goals.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Bradford underwent an MRI exam on Sunday night that revealed a torn ACL in his left knee, according to multiple media outlets. ... Rams DE Chris Long was ejected early in the third quarter after being called for unnecessary roughness following a skirmish involving several players. The teams combined for five personal foul penalties. … Smith's touchdown catch was the 800th reception of his career, making him the 29th player in NFL history to reach the milestone. … Bradford was injured when he was pushed out of bounds by Mike Mitchell. He was helped to the bench and later left the sideline area on a cart.