Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and Diontae Spencer returned a punt for a score as the Denver Broncos posted a 32-27 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.
It marked the most scoring passes in a game for Lock, a second-year pro. He completed 21 of 27 throws for 280 yards, with two of the TD passes going to KJ Hamler.
Lock evened his touchdown-to-interception ratio for the season at 13 apiece as the Broncos (5-8) snapped a two-game skid.
The Panthers (4-9), coming off their bye week, lost their second game in a row and fell to 2-5 in home games.
Carolina quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed 30 of 40 passes for 283 yards. He also scored on a 7-yard run to begin the fourth-quarter scoring.
Mike Davis, again filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, scored on two touchdown runs -- including a 10-yard burst with 3:26 left. That play came just 28 seconds after Lock's fourth TD throw helped the Broncos to a 32-20 lead.
Carolina used its timeouts on defense and regained possession with 2:48 remaining, but failed to secure a first down before a failed attempt at a fourth-down conversion.
Spencer raced 83 yards to open the scoring on the punt return. It was Denver's first special teams return for a touchdown since 2015.
Lock's 2-yard pass to tight end Nick Vannett with 1:37 left in the first half gave the Broncos a 13-7 advantage. They added to their lead on their first possession of the second half on Lock's 37-yard touchdown strike to Hamler, though Brandon McManus missed an extra-point kick for the second time in the game.
The Panthers closed to within 19-10 on Joey Slye's 35-yard field goal midway in the third quarter.
Carolina took a 7-6 in the second quarter after Lock lost the ball on Jeremy Chinn's sack and Efe Obada returned the fumble 40 yards to the Denver 3. Two plays later, Davis ran in from 3 yards out.
--Field Level Media