New York, NY – Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan have been named the NFL's top rookies for the month of September.
Newton, the number one overall pick out of Auburn, passed for 1,012 yards, the most ever by a player in his first three games. He also had four touchdowns and two rushing scores for the 1-2 Panthers.
He threw for 422 yards in his NFL debut, setting a record for the most yards by a player in his debut. Newton followed that with an NFL single-game rookie record 432 yards, surpassing the mark set by the Lions' Matthew Stafford in 2009.
Newton is the first rookie to win a monthly honor for Carolina since Matt Moore in 2007, and the third Panther overall.
Kerrigan, the 16th overall pick out of Purdue, recorded 12 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown for the 2-1 Redskins.
His interception came in an opening week victory over the NFC East-rival New York Giants, and his first career sack came against the Arizona Cardinals in a 22-21 win during Week 2.
He is the first Redskins rookie to win the honor since safety Chris Horton in 2008, and the fourth in team history.
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