Another big statistical day for Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton.

Another loss, too.

Newton produced impressive numbers Sunday in the Panthers' 24-21 loss against the Minnesota Vikings at Bank of America Stadium - completing 22 of 35 passes for 290 yards, three touchdowns and a 117.6 quarterback rating. He also ran for 53 yards, including one scamper for 24 yards in the third quarter.

But he didn't quite get the Panthers into a position to win - not that it was his fault. And, for a sixth time in eight games, the Panthers were losers.

"At the end of the day, you still have to look in the mirror and ask yourself, 'Are you going to get the job done or what are you going to do?' " Newton said. "The saying is, 'Some do, some don't. Some come through in the clutch, some don't.' You look at our record and it says a lot.

"I don't classify us as a good team. Actions speak way louder than words. If you consider yourself a good team, you have to be able to do things."

It looked like Newton was doing his part to get the Panthers at least a shot at overtime late in the game.

With the Vikings leading 24-21 and 2 minutes, 38 seconds remaining, he drove Carolina nearly the length of the field. Included was a drive-saving 44-yard pass to Brandon LaFell on fourth-and-15.

And when Newton took off on a 10-yard run that he ended with a leap to the Vikings 4 with less than a minute to play, the Panthers appeared to be on the doorstep of a final-second victory.

But a holding call on receiver Steve Smith nullified Newton's run. Then, two plays later, Olindo Mare missed a 31-yard field goal that might have sent the game into overtime.

"Yeah, (Mare) missed the field goal," said Newton. "But go back and look at our drives. We had opportunities. I'll be damned if someone just sits up there and puts the pressure on one particular person when it was a collective loss: Offensively, defensively, special teams."

Newton was especially galled by a stretch in the second half in which the Panthers went three-and-out on three successive possessions, managing 25 total yards.

"Three-and-out is unacceptable if you expect to win games," said Newton. "You call yourself a high-powered offense, that's not it."

Newton's season totals now include 2,393 passing yards, a 60.6 completion percentage with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Since 1960, only Newton and Pittsburgh's Kordell Stewart in 1997 have as many as 11 touchdown passes and seven scoring runs through eight games.

"(Newton's) a terrific athlete," said Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, who also started a rookie quarterback in Christian Ponder. "He's a guy who has a great head on his shoulders and really understands football. He knows how to make plays and he has a great future in the National Football League."