CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cam Newton gave the Panthers an early injury scare before returning to help Carolina defeat the New England Patriots 25-14 in a preseason game Friday night. On the game’s opening drive, Newton scrambled out of the pocket on third-and-9 before recklessly diving head-first — this is the preseason, after all — and landing on his head after getting upended by cornerback Jonathan Jones. Newton was forced to leave the game to be evaluated for a concussion, but returned four plays later to a loud ovation and played the remainder of the first half. He finished 11 of 17 for 142 yards passing and led three scoring drives — all resulting in field goals — as the Panthers built a 9-3 lead at halftime. Running back Christian McCaffrey continued to be a major player on offense, touching the ball 10 times for 51 yards on Carolina’s opening drive which lasted nearly 10 minutes. The Panthers (3-0) had 203 yards in the first half, but couldn’t find the end zone. It was a quiet night for Tom Brady, who completed 12 of 18 passes for 102 yards in the first half.