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Jonathan Stewart played a big part in the Panthers' 26-15 dismantling of the Redskins on Monday night, but the lasting memory from the game won't be his 25-carry, 132-yard performance, but what happened at the end of an eight-yard run in the second quarter: Stewart got hit so hard his facemask came off.

And here's the moving-pictures evidence:

Stewart, who left the field wearing a helmet sans facemask, had to sit out several plays while his helmet was fixed. On Thursday, he talked about the play.

"I saw a picture of it," Stewart said, via ESPN.com's David Newton. "Looked like I had a motorcycle helmet on."

For Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula, it brought back memories of his father, the legendary coach Don Shula.

"He's got pictures of him in a Colts uniform getting beaten for a touchdown without a facemask," Shula told Newton. "I still haven't seen [the Stewart play], but it was scary."

Stewart wasn't hurt on the play in question, though a shin injury required some halftime attention from the medical staff. Still, he had one of his best games of the season, which didn't go unnoticed.

"I ain't seen Stew bring that out in a while," said defensive end Charles Johnson, who had to watch the game on television while recovering from a hamstring injury. "He was in a zone."

The Panthers (6-8) remain alive in the playoff race, though just barely. They host the division-leading Falcons on Saturday and end the regular season on New Year's Day in Tampa Bay.