Kyle Allen threw two of his four touchdown passes to tight end Greg Olsen as the Carolina Panthers notched their first victory by defeating the host Arizona Cardinals 38-20 on Sunday at Glendale, Ariz.
Allen, who made his first start of the season and second of his career, was filling in for injured Cam Newton (foot). For Allen, who is from Arizona, it was a happy homecoming as he completed 19 of 26 passes for 261 yards.
For Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, the No. 1 overall draft pick in April, and first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury, they'll have to wait to produce their first NFL victory. The Cardinals are 0-2-1.
Murray finished 30-for-43 passing for 173 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked eight times.
Carolina hadn't thrown for four touchdowns in a game since 2017. The Panthers (1-2) were without any touchdown passes in their first two games this season.
Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey made a career-long 76-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. He finished with 153 rushing yards on 24 carries.
Murray connected with David Johnson for a 3-yard go-ahead touchdown play early in the third quarter. Johnson caught the ball at the 11-yard line when he shed a would-be tackle and then made his way through other defenders to the end zone to make it 17-14.
The Panthers bounced back when Allen threw to Olsen for a 3-yard touchdown play. Carolina remained ahead after Zane Gonzalez's 47-yard field goal trimmed the gap to 21-20.
Then came McCaffrey's long run followed by another 3-yarder from Allen to Olsen after the Panthers regained possession on Donte Jackson's interception.
Jackson's second pick resulted in Joey Slye's 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Arizona scored first on Murray's 1-yard toss to Larry Fitzgerald.
The Panthers, who drove down the field before Allen was sacked and fumbled on the first drive, responded with a 75-yard drive that resulted in Allen's third-down, 5-yard touchdown strike to Curtis Samuel.
The Cardinals regained the lead on Gonzalez's 34-yard field goal with 1:40 to play in the first half.
Carolina responded when Allen hit DJ Moore in stride for a 52-yard scoring play with 49 seconds to play in the half.
--Field Level Media
