According to the NFL rulebook, a roughing the passer penalty should be called when:
"Defenders impermissibly use the helmet and/or facemask to hit the passer, or use hands, arms, or other parts of the body to hit the passer forcibly in the head or neck area. A defensive player must not use his helmet against a passer who is in a defenseless posture for example, (a) forcibly hitting the passer’s head or neck area with the helmet or facemask, regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the passer by encircling or grasping him, or (b) lowering the head and making forcible contact with the top/crown or forehead/”hairline” parts of the helmet against any part of the passer’s body."
But ...
"This rule does not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or non-crown parts of the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle on a passer."
So while your eyes may see one thing, officials may not have seen intent that would have made either hit illegal.
Afterward, Newton declined to make this a second Sunday when he openly questioned officiating.
"I’m not worried about that," he said. "Just trying to find ways to win the football."
Coach Ron Rivera also avoided the issue.
“I’m going to watch the tape," he said. "As I go through the game, I’m trying to watch for what’s happening. I’m for the most part satisfied. We’ll see what it looks like on tape, but I thought the officiating did a good job."
Rivera may sing a different tune when he meets with the media Monday afternoon, but if sports talk shows tackle the topic again this week, Newton wasn't about to be the guy to kickstart it.
"I’m just happy we won the football game," he said.
"It’s always fun to win."