Live Commentary: New England Patriots 20-24 Carolina Panthers - as it happened

Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the NFL clash between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots.

The Panthers are the hottest team in the NFL at the moment as they enter this game on a five-game win streak after defeating the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park last week.

That game was seen as a statement from Ron Rivera's side that they are a real threat in the NFC playoff race as they trail the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South by two games coming into this match.

Quarterback Cam Newton has been inconsistent this season but he will be aided by the trio of quality running backs at his side's disposal against the 31st ranked rushing defense in the NFL tonight. Mike Tolbert, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are all a major threat in the running game and the passing game for the Panthers along with the physical threat of wide receiver Steve Smith.

The Panthers offense will have to find its rhythm as the Patriots have one of the best scoring defenses in the NFL, as they don't allow many teams to score touchdowns against them. Efficiency will be the name of the game for Newton and his offense.

Where the Panthers offense is inconsistent, its defense is not. The Panthers boast one of the best defenses in the league and where the Patriots are good at keeping their opponents at bay, the Panthers are better as they give away the fewest points in the NFL.

Their front seven is as good as it comes in the NFL. On their four man front, they have two impressive rookie defensive tackles in Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short, who have been stout against the run this season, while on the edge, Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy have made a habit of getting to the opposition's quarterback. They play arguably the best QB in the league tonight and they have to be at their best to stop him.

The Panthers linebackers are just as good if not better than their defensive front. Leading the way is Luke Kuechly who just gets better and better every week in his second year in the NFL out of Boston College. He's a tackling machine and always seems to make a play when his side need it, watch him tonight and be amazed. He is truly one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Alongside Kuechly the Panthers have another stud in Thomas Davis. He is a bit more athletic and but hits just as hard, expect him to be around the ball in this game just as much as Kuechly.

One weakness the Panthers may have is their secondary. Although they have made a lot of plays on the ball this season. Safety Mike Mitchell has flashed this year along with cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. Tom Brady may target them to get away from the Panthers physical front and they will have to step up to the mark.

Speaking of Brady, he hasn't quite been himself this year although he did spring back to form against the Pittsburgh Steelers last time out. He is on pace for the worst statistical season of his illustrious career but his team are 7-2 so I don't think he will mind. At the start of the season his frustration with his rookie wideouts was easy to see, as he was without All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski and big-money signing Danny Amendola along with back Shane Vereen. Those players are now back and healthy so it will be interesting to see whether we see the Brady of old.

One rookie who endured a difficult start to the year was Aaron Dobson. He had a lot of drops early in the season but he has found his form in recent weeks and has three touchdowns in his last two games, including two against the Steelers, where he had 130 receiving yards. He can be a weapon tonight to stretch the field and test those defensive backs.

You can't overlook the return of Gronkowski as well. He has been huge since his return from injury after missing the first six games of the season. His touchdown number may be low but the attention he commands from defenders has allowed the Patriots to average over 30 points a game since his return. A lot of debate this week has been over who will cover him as he and Kuechly look set to be on a collision course and what a matchup that will be.

The Patriots have been hit hard with injuries on the defensive side of the ball. They are without five starters tonight as Steve Gregory and Alfonzo Dennard, join Tommy Kelly, Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo on the sidelines. However, cornerback Aqib Talib is healthy and that will be a major boost to the Patriots as he can lock down one side of the field in the passing game and shutdown any side's top wide receiver.

Rookie safety Duron Harmon will be making his first start tonight in the absence of Gregory and he will have a huge task on his hands with the mobile Newton in the box along with the trio of running backs. A real baptism of fire for him.

PANTHERS INACTIVES: King, McNutt, Barner, Scott, Hartsock, Alexander, Blackburn.

PATRIOTS INACTIVES:Barker, Bequette, Bolden, Beauharnais, Washington, Dennard, Gregory.

STAT ATTACK! In the Patriots second half of their seasons in the past three years they have gone 24-1. That loss came in the 2012 campaign against the San Franciso 49ers.

STAT ATTACK! The Patriots won their second Super Bowl in the 2003 season against the Carolina Panthers in a 32-29 victory at Reliant Stadium. On that day now Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was just 14 years old.

COIN TOSS RESULT: The Patriots win the coin toss and defer meaning Newton and the Panthers offense will get the ball first.

The Panthers will begin at the 20 as Ginn takes a knee in the endzone from Gostkowski's kick.

The Panthers start with a three and out as Newton's pass on third and nine as Talib has good coverage on Smith and forces Nortman to punt and his kick is collected for the fair catch by Edelman at the Patriots' 29.

The Patriots move the chains as Brady drills the ball to Vereen on third and four and the back makes the catch for six yards after Edelman did well to get 14 yards on a screen on second to help recover yardage following a penalty.

Brady moves the chains again as he fires to Dobson on a curl route and he gets 11 yards before he gets brought down at the Carolina 46.

SACK! Brady gets dropped by Hardy who speeds around Solder to sack him for a five-yard loss on third down and forces the punt from Allen, which is downed by Slater at the Panthers' 10.

The Panthers get off their goalline as Newton airs the ball deep down the left-hand sideline and Smith makes the catch over Talib for a 42-yard reception to move his side to the Patriots' 46.

The Panthers get a break as Newton completes a pass to Smith to get the first down and add 15 more yards to that as Talib keeps hold of the receiver for a personal foul to move his side to the 19.

Newton fires to his tight end Olsen to move the chains for an 11-yard reception to move his side to the eight-yard line to move into striking distance.

The Panthers take the lead as Newton fires down the seam to LaFell on a slant route and he coasts into the endzone unchallenged for the nine-yard touchdown.

Gano's kick sails out of the endzone so Brady will start at the 20.

The Patriots move the chains to start their drive as Ridley gets three yards on second and Amendola makes a crucial catch on third for nine yards to get the first down at the Patriots' 32.

Brady fires to Amendola again to get the first down as the receiver sits down in the zone on a hitch route to get a five-yard reception at the Panthers' 43.

Ridley gets a good carry as he finds 13 yards to move his side into the Carolina side of the field as he finds the middle clogged up, he sprints out to the left-hand side and moves the chains before Kuechly knocks him out of bounds.

The Patriots go for it on fourth down and get a break as the Panthers commit a penalty on Edelman as White puts his hands through the facemask and keeps the Patriots drive alive and gives them another five yards.

The Panthers commit yet another penalty as Hardy grabs the facemask of Brady and will keep the Patriots' drive alive again and moves the half the distance to the goal, which is at the Carolina 12.

Ridley fumbles the ball at the 12 for the Patriots as Short rips the ball from his grasp. So the Panthers will take over, that is devastating from New England's point of view, as that is his second fumble in as many weeks.

The Panthers move the chains as Stewart finds space over the middle of the line and just gets enough for the first down before Spikes brings him down.

Newton drops back and fires to LaFell on an outroute down the left-hand sideline for 17 yards as he is uncovered and he does well to keep his feet in bounds.

The Patriots bring the rush and Newton escapes and sprints down the field and gets a lot of yardage to move his side to the Patriots' 30 with a 24-yard run.

Another penalty on Talib keeps the Panthers drive alive as he is penalised for holding on Smith, which gives Carolina five yards and another set of downs to move them to the New England 25.

The Panthers can't take advantage of the penalty a Tolbert gets stuffed on first and Newton throws an incompletion into the endzone on second. On third he makes a good throw to Ginn but he can't hold onto the ball as Arrington breaks up the pass. Gano will attempt a 43-yard field goal.

Gano's kick sails out of the endzone so Brady will start at the 20.

Brady gets the chains moving immediately as he fakes the handoff to Blount and drills the ball to Thompkins and he beats his man to get a 23-yard gain to move his side to the 43.

Brady fires to Vereen on a comeback route and the back makes the man miss to get 17 yards on the catch to move his side to the Carolina 38.

Blount gets the handoff on first for the Patriots and churns up the middle for eight yards and he comes back on second to get the remaining two yards up the middle to move the chains.

A personal foul backs the Patriots up, as Mankins shoves his hands in the face of Loutlelei. Amendola gets three yards back but it's a third and 22 after the two-minute warning for the Pats.

Brady gets 14 yards with a pass to Gronkowski for the first time of the game leaving the Patriots with a fourth and eight situation. He hurries them to the line but takes a timeout to kill as much clock as possible. Gostkowski will attempt a 42-yard field goal.

In tricky wind conditions Gostkowski does well to nail his 42 yarder through the posts to get the Pats on the board.

Ginn takes the ball out and gets drilled by Wilson at his own 11 where Newton will start.

SACK! The Patriots get to Newton in the pocket as Chandler Jones drags him down for a five-yard loss and that will end the half as the Panthers opt not to use another play.

The Panthers lead at the break in what has been an interesting battle out there to say the least. Talib and Smith literally decided to fight each other on several occasions and both maybe lucky to still be on the field.

The Patriots have been the architects of their own downfall in the first half and you can align that with some good physical play from the Panthers defense, but penalties on Mankins and Talib have been costly along with a fumble from Ridley. That might be the last we see of the back tonight given his history of losing the ball.

Credit to the Panthers they have taken what has been given to them, as Newton found LaFell in the endzone. They haven't been utterly convincing given how poorly the Patriots have played and arguably should be further ahead. Their defense has proven they can get to Brady though and as expected Kuechly has been a tackling machine, but they will need to keep this level of intensity up to secure the win.

Some first-half stats. Brady is 16-23 for 123 yards, while Newton is 7-12 for 97 yards. Ridley had 33 yards on nine carries, the Panthers' leading rusher was Newton with a 24 yarder. A defensive game so far.

Gano's kick is downed in the endzone by Boyce so Brady will begin at the 20.

Brady gets the chains moving immediately as he fires to Vereen on a screen pass and he gets 10 yards on the reception to move the chains to get his side to the 30.

Blount gets the carry as Ridley sits on the bench and he powers through the middle of the line for 12 yards to get his side to the 43 before two Panthers finally bring him down. Bad news for the Panthers as pass rusher Charles Johnson goes down in agony and it doesn't look good for him. He appears to be yelling in pain as the medical staff treat him.

Brady keeps the ball himself as he powers through the line on a quarterback sneak to get three yards to move the chains after he fired to Dobson on first down who got nine yards on a quick in cut.

Blount powers through the middle again and it takes several Panthers to bring him down for a gain of eight yards and the Patriots get the first down as Brady fires the ball quickly to Edelman who gets nine yards down the sideline beating White with a move.

Vereen gets the ball again on a quick screen and he manages to make a move to get nine yards and a penalty on the Panthers for having 12 men on the field gives the Patriots the first down and five more yards.

The Patriots get another penalty as White is flagged for bringing down Dobson with holding to move New England to the Carolina nine-yard line.

The Patriots get themselves level as Brady fires to Gronkowski on a slant route and he powers through three tackles before reaching out his arm to break the goalline with the ball, with three players draped on him to get the score.

Ginn returns the ball to the 19 where Newton will start.

LaFell moves the chains for the Panthers as Newton fires him the ball on an out route for nine yards and then he comes back with a five-yard gain on second to move his side to the 34.

Newton makes an incredible play to get the first down as he somehow evades the rush and makes four Patriots players miss and sprints downfield to get the first down with a 14-yard run. Amazing moves by the quarterback.

Tolbert gets the first down as he manages to break the ball outside and gets the yard as McCourty could only haul him down by dragging him over the first down marker after Williams got nine yards on first and second.

The Panthers get moving again as Newton has a lot of time in the pocket and he drills the ball to Smith on a crossing route and he moves the chains to get 16 yards to move his side to the New England 21.

The Panthers retake the lead as Newton fires to Olsen on a clearout route and he catches the ball in the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown as he just reeled in the catch before McCourty could make the play to knock it loose.

Boyce takes a knee in the endzone from Gano's kick so Brady will start at the 20.

Vereen moves the chains for the Patriots on third and two as he drills the ball to the back and he collects it for the seven-yard gain to move his side to the 35.

Ridley is back and gets five yards on the ground to leave the Patriots with a second and five at their 40 to begin the fourth quarter.

Brady moves the chains as he fires the ball to Dobson on a hitch route and catches the ball for a 11-yard reception to move to the Carolina 49.

Ridley and Vereen get the yardage for the first down together this time as Ridley gets five yards on first with a power run through the middle, then Vereen gets six on second to move the chains.

Brady fakes to Ridley and he drills the ball over the middle of the field to Thompkins who makes a move on Mikel and he sprints to one-yard line of the Panthers before he gets taken down from behind on a 37-yard reception.

Brady hurries the Patriots to the line and hands the ball off to Ridley who powers into the endzone over the left-hand side of the line behind a Gronkowski block for the score.

Gostkowski's kick is downed by Ginn in his endzone so Newton will start at the 20.

SACK! Chandler Jones does a lovely spin move inside which forces Newton out of the pocket and into the hands of Ninkovick who brings him down. Newton on third and 15 throws the ball deep and his pass is nearly intercepted by McCourty and then Ryan as the ball dropped to floor but it fell incomplete. Nortman's punt is taken to the Carolina 40 by Amendola.

Vereen is there again for Brady to move the chains on third and four as he drills the ball to him out wide on the right and he gets seven yards to move his side to the Carolina 27.

Brady finds Gronkowski this time on second down as he finds 11 yards on a play-action pass and he powers through three tackles to move the chains to advance his side to the 15.

Brady's pass on third down falls incomplete looking for Dobson at the back of the endzone after Blount had got nine yards on first and second on the ground. That will force Gostkowski into a 26-yard field goal.

Gostkowski's kick sails through the posts with the aid of a deflection off the post after Allen had trouble gathering the snap.

The Panthers convert on a crucial third down as Newton again escapes the pocket and runs for 15 yards to the Carolina 36 to move the chains for his side.

Newton powers through the middle again on a designed run this time as he gets the two yards he needs for the first down.

Newton drops back in the pocket this time and fires to his left across his body to his tight end Olsen on a drag route and gets 15 yards to move his side into Patriots territory.

The Panthers get a huge break on third down as Olsen takes a tumble and McCourty covering him gets flagged for defensive holding. That gives the Panthers an extra five yards and another set of downs. Not a good call by the officials.

Olsen moves the chains again for his side as Newton drills the ball out to him in the flat and he gets seven yards which is enough to get over the marker.

The Panthers take the lead late in the game as Newton drills the ball to Ginn on a hitch route and he beats Arrington in coverage and sprints into the endzone for the score from 25 yards out. A poor tackle from the corner.

Brady will start at the 20 needing a touchdown to win the game.

The Patriots keep the game alive as Brady drills the ball downfield to Gronkowski on fourth and 10 and he takes the ball to Patriots' 43 with a 23-yard reception.

Amendola makes a catch on second down for 10 yards to move the chains at the Carolina 46 to keep the drive alive for the Patriots.

The Panthers keep the Patriots' drive alive this time as Dobson is brought down by White on the sideline and New England will have the ball on the 36.

Brady throws the ball underneath to Vereen and he makes the catch to move the ball to the Carolina 25. Game on the line. Here we go!!

Brady goes short to Dobson to move to the 18-yard line. Game on the line. Here we go!!

CONTROVERSY!!! Brady throws into the endzone and Lester picks the ball off before Gronkowski can make a play. However, the flag is down at the back of the endzone as the tight end is pushed out of the endzone by Kuechly. But referee Clete Blakeman overrules the flag and says there is no penalty, to end the game. Very iffy call there by Cleteman considering the holding call on McCourty earlier.

What a shame that great game ended on a controversial call. The referee made a quick exit without explaining the ruling, which by my estimation isn't allowed in the NFL but Brady made sure to go and ask him as he followed him down the tunnel. He wasn't happy.

Newton delivered for his side in the end though and the Panther extend their winning streak to six games to move to 7-3 in their season just one game behind the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South and their playoff hopes are well and truly alive.

I wouldn't get on the Cam Newton train just yet as he was playing against a Patriots secondary that was missing two key players, and a defense that was already without three Pro Bowlers, so until the Saints come to town and he puts in a performance, then the Panthers can't start thinking about a run in January.

The Patriots will feel hard done by but they can't afford to sulk as they have to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, so they will need to reaffirm their efforts to get back from falling to 7-3. They still have a two-game lead over the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East.

Thanks for joining our commentary this morning. We'll be back on Thursday when the New Orleans Saints take on the Atlanta Falcons. Until then, goodbye.