Evaluating Cam Newton’s first start in his return to the Carolina Panthers
Starting a new quarterback for an entire game after a little more than a week’s worth of preparation was always going to be a challenge for the Carolina Panthers.
That was the case this week for Cam Newton, who the Panthers signed as a free agent on Nov. 11, nine weeks into the 2021 regular season.
But Newton, who was playing in his second game and making his first start since Week 17 of the 2020 season, didn’t show many signs of rust or concerns with his arm.
In fact, what he showed in their 27-21 loss to Washington Football Team was that he is the answer for the Panthers this year at quarterback. And when Sam Darnold returns from injured reserve — whenever that may be — it should remain that way.
Considering how little time Newton had to learn the playbook, the two-minute offense and the game plan, Newton played well.
He finished 21-of-27 passing for 189 yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
The issue is that the Panthers are hanging on by a thread to their playoff hopes. Newton still needs time to continue to get acclimated to the playbook and the offense. But the Panthers don’t have that time.
They are 5-6 with six games left in the season, and their final four games are against teams with winning records.
The game against Washington at home (4-6) was supposed to be one of their easiest games.
“We didn’t win,” Newton said, when asked to assess his own performance.
Newton was responsible for all three of the Panthers’ touchdowns Sunday, and five in the past two weeks, which is three more touchdowns than what Darnold had in Weeks 5-9 combined.
Still, there are some things Newton can clean up.
The Panthers’ biggest issue in the first half was its inefficiency on third down. The Panthers were 0 for 4 on third-down situations through the first two quarters. And all four of those third downs were third-and-4 or shorter.
One of the failed attempts was because of a fumbled snap by center Pat Elflein to Christian McCaffrey in the first quarter. Two were inaccurate passes by Newton or passes that he could have placed better.
The third-and-4 pass attempt to McCaffrey with 1:42 left in the first quarter was a pass he should have made.
“Coach brought that up early, mentioning early in the week, that it was going to come down to early success in first-down, third-down conversions and staying on the field offensively, and defensively getting them off the field,” Newton said. “And from what I saw, we did none of those things.”
The offense also had two chances to score the game-winning touchdown in the final three minutes after putting the ball in Newton’s hands.
However, both times the Panthers were not able to score.
Their second-to-last drive ended at their own 32 after McCaffrey was brought down short of the sticks. It didn’t help that the Panthers, the NFL’s most heavily penalized team, was called for a holding penalty to start the drive.
Their last drive ended near midfield after Newton was sacked.
Wide receiver DJ Moore was open briefly and Newton didn’t see him. Newton said he hesitated.
“He played the best that he could,” Moore said. “He always gives us an opportunity to win. We had an opportunity to go down and win, we just came up short.”
But it’s unrealistic to expect Newton to be perfect. Just two weeks ago he was at home without team, being a stay-at-home dad, making YouTube videos, and trying to stay in shape.
He signed with the Panthers on Nov. 11, played his first game on Nov. 14, and started his first game Nov. 21. So in just 10 days, he had to learn as much of the playbook as possible, the gameplan, his coaches and his teammates.
The Panthers expected to play backup P.J. Walker some to make up for anything that Newton wasn’t quite comfortable or familiar with.
But throughout Sunday’s game, the coaching staff never felt they needed to go in that direction.
“I thought Cam was excellent,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said. “He managed everything. Maybe one communication error in the first half. He got through the progressions. The throw he made to Christian was elite I thought. For where we are, for being a week into it, I thought he did a nice job.”
The pass Rhule referenced happened with 10:50 left in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were trailing by a touchdown, and Newton stepped up in the pocket and delivered a perfect pass to McCaffrey in the middle of the field for a 27-yard touchdown.
That touchdown tied the score and put pressure on Washington to answer, which it did.
Newton’s 24-yard touchdown run in the first quarter looked like vintage Cam Newton.
The Panthers ran a read-option play. Newton faked the handoff to McCaffrey, and kept it himself, racing to the end zone.
After the score, he immediately raced to midfield with the football, slammed it on the Panthers’ logo and did his famous Superman pose.
When asked why he ran to midfield like that, Newton called Nov. 21 his resurrection day. On Nov. 21, 2008, Newton was arrested on felony charges after he was accused of stealing a laptop computer while he was a student at the University of Florida.
The charges against Newton were later dropped.
But Newton said Nov. 21 remains a special day for him, and it was why he was so animated after his touchdown score.
“I was just going to enjoy the moment, still am going to enjoy the moment,” he said. “I think my life could be, who knows where right now if the judge ruled (against him), the way she did, he did, I’m not sure.
“Man, God had favor over my life and that’s the big picture.”
Despite the loss, Newton said he came away optimistic. He listed all of the offensive playmakers, and said they have “the juice” to get it done.
“For me, I am excited what the future holds and it’s going to start with us tomorrow and going over the film and locking in and doing that as best as we could,” Newton said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2021 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Evaluating Cam Newton’s first start in his return to the Carolina Panthers."
