Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins will face Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Griffin has sometimes been compared to Newton, who is a mobile quarterback in his second NFL season.

"I’d rather be compared to an Aaron Rodgers or a guy like that," said Griffin when asked about the Newton comparisons. "Someone who has won Super Bowls."

The Carolina Panthers have received trade calls about the availability of Steve Smith.

The Panthers have a 1-6 record.

Smith has caught 35 balls for 589 yards this season.

At this point, the Panthers are rejecting trade offers for Smith.

The Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 23-22 on a Robbie Gould field goal from 41 yards as time expired.

The Bears had a -9.9 deficit in The Trench Counter, averaging 1.4 fewer yards per play and logging one additional turnover. The Panthers had a +18 in Total Rushes/Completions.

Matt Forte rushed 15 times for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Jay Cutler went 19-for-28 for 186 yards, one touchdown, one interception and two lost fumbles.

But the Bears again were bolstered by a defensive touchdown, as Tim Jennings returned an interception 25 yards with less than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

Cam Newton went 20-for-39 for 314 yards and two interceptions.

The Panthers' lone touchdown came on a defensive score.

The Carolina Panthers have fired general manager Marty Hurney and sources say Ron Rivera will be next if they are unable to turnaround their season.

The Panthers currently have a 1-5 record.

The Carolina Panthers are abandoning their concept of rotating running backs.

The Panthers have invested a combined $79.5 million in their tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

Ron Rivera wants "find one guy, develop a rhythm and if he gets hot, ride him" against Chicago on Sunday.

"I want to see one guy pound and get a rhythm and then he gets tired and the other guy comes in," Rivera said. "To me it's hard for a back to get a rhythm when you're coming out every other play."

The Carolina Panthers have fired general manager Marty Hurney after a 1-5 start.

"This was an extremely difficult decision," said owner Jerry Richardson in a statement. "Marty made every effort to bring success to the Panthers and took the team to a Super Bowl and two NFC championship games. Unfortunately, we have not enjoyed the success we hoped for in recent years. I have the greatest respect and admiration for Marty and will always appreciate the way he tirelessly served the organization."

The Panthers made a heavy financial commitment to their running game that has struggled this season.

"I am very fortunate to have been a part of one of the best organizations in the NFL since 1998," Hurney said. "As General Manager I will always regret not helping us win the Super Bowl or having back-to-back winning seasons. I hope this change starts accomplishing the direction to those goals. I understand this decision by Mr. Richardson and will always have an extremely close relationship with him. I consider him the best owner in the NFL. I am responsible for everybody in coaching, the players, the scouts and everybody in football operations. After six weeks, we are 1-5 coming off a 6-10 season."

The Dallas Cowboys improved to 3-3 with a 19-14 win over the reeling Carolina Panthers.

The Cowboys had a +1.9 advantage in The Trench Counter, with turnovers and penalties giving Jason Garrett's team the slide edge. Dallas had a +13 in Total Rushes/Completions.

Tony Romo went 24-for-34 for 227 yards and a touchdown to Miles Austin.

The Cowboys' running game rushed 31 times for just 85 yards, playing without DeMarco Murray.

Cam Newtwon went 21-for-37 for 233 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a lost fumble. Newton also rushed for 64 yards.

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers by a final score of 16-12 to improve to 3-2.

The Seahawks had a -0.4 deficit in The Trench Counter, as they lost the turnover differential battle -2 and had 40 additional penalty yards lost. Seattle, however, had a +23 edge in Total Rushes/Completions.

Russell Wilson went 19-for-25 for 221 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Marshawn Lynch rushed 21 times for 85 yards.

Cam Newton went just 12-for-29 for 141 yards while leading the Panthers in rushing with seven attempts for 42 yards. Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams combined for 22 yards on 10 carries.

An often overlooked aspect of football is to establish an early lead. Rather than worrying about establishing the pass or the run, simply getting an early lead allows the specific elements of the game to fall into place.

The Texans, Falcons, Bengals and Chargers lead in first half point differential.

The bottom-five are the Chiefs, Jaguars, Lions, Titans and Panthers.