Could Cam Newton’s performance vs. Atlanta have voters rethinking MVP?
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had the kind of day against Atlanta that, right or wrong, might make voters rethink him as the NFL MVP.
For the first time this season he couldn’t will his team to victory, and he didn’t look like an elite quarterback, as he had in the first 14 games.
Newton went 17-of-30 for 142 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass and narrowly avoided an interception. He rushed seven times for 46 yards and a touchdown, but he also took a sack for negative-16 yards as the offensive line struggled at times against the Atlanta blitz.
After an 11-play opening drive that resulted in a touchdown, Newton and Carolina’s offense could only muster 188 yards. Panthers coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Mike Shula both said the struggles weren’t solely on Newton.
“I thought that first drive was very reminiscent of how he played all year,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Monday. “And then I’m not sure if he ever really felt comfortable.”
Rivera and offensive coordinator Mike Shula both said the struggles weren’t solely on Newton. Shula said he thought Newton played his heart out. No time was that more clear in the game than his 8-yard scramble in the second quarter where he absorbed at least four hits to stretch for the first down.
“For the most part he did a lot of good things,” Shula said. “There were a couple of times, maybe, where he’d like to have his decision back. I would say probably no more than a lot of other games. There are some things that we all would like to have back, whether it was a play call, a read or decision. Sometimes it gets hidden by the wins.
“In a game like that where there’s not that many opportunities, it’s tough when you don’t convert on third down to give yourself a few more plays. We always talk about staying on the field and eventually we’re going to get the ball in the end zone, and we didn’t do that as well.”
Carolina only had 18 first downs and went four-for-10 on third down. The 13 points were the fewest scored by the Panthers in a game all season.
“I’m not sure if we were doing the things as coaches and players to put ourselves in position to have success,” Rivera said. “We were running the ball efficiently, we had opportunities with the throws and catches that we missed. It’s just one of those things.
“Maybe it was finally time. Everything was like a perfect storm and no matter what we were going to do we were going to have a tough time with it.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Could Cam Newton’s performance vs. Atlanta have voters rethinking MVP?."