Ted Ginn Jr's touchdown with under a minute to play has helped the Carolina Panthers earn a 24-20 win over the New England Patriots, turning the tables late on as Cam Newton delivered a knockout blow.

Carolina were quick to make their presence felt on Tom Brady early on, with Greg Hardy landing a sack on the Patriots quarterback midway through the first quarter.

The Panthers used that momentum to drive up field and break the deadlock with a touchdown late in the first quarter, as Newton used a slant route to find Brandon Lafell alone in the end zone.

New England's struggles on offense continued in the second quarter when Stevan Ridley gave up possession with a fumble, once again giving the Panthers the chance to punish sloppy play.

Carolina eventually settled for a field goal that extended their advantage through Graham Gano, who made no mistake from 43 yards despite high winds.

Brady finally showed signs of life late in the first half to set up a field goal opportunity, converted by Stephen Gostkowski to get the visitors on the board.

New England were vastly improved after the interval as Brady quickly set up Rob Gronkowski to level the match at 10 apiece, but Newton replied as Greg Olsen bundled into the end zone late in the third quarter.

Brady battled back once more in a drive spanning 80 yards in less than five minutes, sending Ridley over from close range to tie the contest early in the fourth.

Gostkowski then put the Patriots ahead with a 26-yard field goal, putting the pressure on Newton to respond late in the match.

Newton was up to the task and quickly led a sustained drive towards goal that he finished in style to find Ginn Jr on a hitch route, beating Kyle Arrington to find the end zone and put the Panthers four points clear with 69 seconds left on the clock.

Brady had less than a minute to reply with a touchdown and failed to change the match, with Carolina holding firm to close out their sixth win on the spin.