Cam Newton’s audition hasn’t worked out for Panthers, who still can’t solve QB issue
Cam Newton is trying hard. Cam Newton is doing some good things.
But Cam Newton isn’t the answer at quarterback in 2022 for the Carolina Panthers, and in this half-season audition, he’s proving that point almost every Sunday.
Newton’s Panthers lost 29-21 to Atlanta on Sunday at home, the fifth straight defeat Carolina has sustained inside a despondent Bank of America Stadium.
Once again, Newton got benched for several series. Once again, he was careless with the ball at a couple of critical moments, committing two turnovers that head coach Matt Rhule repeatedly termed “catastrophic.”
“Man, I’m just so disappointed in myself,” Newton said after the game.
It was the 11th straight start Newton has lost for the Panthers, dating back to 2019 and his first go-around in Charlotte. He’s 0-3 this year with Carolina (5-8), and those two TDs on his first two touches in a reserve role at Arizona are just a memory.
Newton’s two turnovers Sunday led to Atlanta touchdowns. The first was a pick-six interception that went back 66 yards the other way when Newton failed to recognize a well-disguised coverage.
“I didn’t see him,” Newton said of Atlanta linebacker Mykal Walker, who undercut a route and took the ball all the way back.
The second turnover — let’s call it the stumble-fumble — was actually worse because it was a self-inflicted wound. Down 20-14, on a second-and-3 from the Atlanta 47 in the third quarter, Newton’s foot got stepped on by center Pat Elflein.
The QB was supposed to hand the ball to Chuba Hubbard, and he still tried to do that while falling down.
“I should have just ate it,” Newton said, meaning he should have just taken what would have been about a four-yard loss. Instead, he tried to hand the ball off and instead banged it awkwardly off Hubbard. “Inexcusable,” Newton said later.
The ball hit the ground and Atlanta quickly recovered. A few plays later, a 20-14 Falcons lead became 26-14.
“Those were just drive-killers,” Newton said of his two turnovers. “Game-killers, in essence.”
The quarterback was far from the only one making mistakes, of course. Left tackle Cam Erving allowed Newton to be sacked on a critical fourth down. Backup QB PJ Walker, who replaced Newton for three series, fired up a horrible pop-fly interception on his second pass attempt. The Panther defense allowed Atlanta to convert a third-and-14 on a miscommunication, which meant the offense never got the ball back with a chance to tie.
Cam Newton’s ‘catastrophic’ plays
But still, so much of the NFL comes down to quarterback play, and Newton hasn’t been good enough.
“Those catastrophic plays, unfortunately, overshadow a lot of really good plays,” Rhule said.
And Newton did have some good plays — he scored on a 12-yard TD run on Carolina’s first possession and threw the ball decently for the most part, getting both DJ Moore and Robby Anderson involved. Newton ran for 47 yards and threw for 178, and those numbers might have won the game if not for the pick-6 and the stumble-fumble.
That’s the thing with Newton now, though. There’s always a “but.” It would have worked out, but….
“We can’t have multiple turnover games from the quarterback position,” Rhule said.
Newton isn’t pouty after losses as he was as a rookie, but they still hurt. “You grow to bottle your emotions better,” Newton said. “I mean I can move some furniture right now if you guys allow me to. But that’s not going to do anything to nobody but make the story even more of a distraction.”
Newton is 32 years old and he’s doing the best he can. But it should be clear by now that QB1 as a stopgap was the best option in November, yes, but that’s mostly because the Panthers were desperate with Sam Darnold’s confidence gone and him being hurt to boot.
In 2021, Newton should start these last four games, and Rhule sounded Sunday like he’d keep Newton as the starter at Buffalo next week. But in 2022, they’re going to have to have a better plan, and it’s one that doesn’t include Newton unless he was somehow content to come back for the veteran minimum as a backup.
And I doubt the Panthers will do that. They should instead grab another QB in free agency, and probably draft one, too (Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett is a real possibility, and it doesn’t hurt that Carolina owner Dave Tepper is also from Pittsburgh). Keep Darnold around because you have to from a money standpoint. Keep throwing darts at this problem until it gets fixed.
Newton hasn’t fixed it. He came into a bad situation, and it’s not gotten worse, but it’s not gotten better except in terms of excitement. Once 3-0, the Panthers have now lost eight of their last 10.
Where’s the QB answer?
Rhule absolutely hates avoidable fumbles by his quarterbacks. I thought Teddy Bridgewater sealed his fate with the Panthers last December when he tried to reach the ball over the goal line on first-and-goal at the 1 and instead had it batted away in Green Bay.
With Newton, he may have sealed his with the pick-six and, even more, the stumble-fumble.
“We are just looking for things to not be catastrophic,” Rhule said. “Put a snap on the ground, OK. Fall on the ball and be second-and-1. That’s what really bothers you about that.”
People get sentimental about Newton these days, just like they did when the Rolling Stones played Bank of America Stadium a couple of months ago.
Said Atlanta’s Walker after his interception, exulting about who he had intercepted: “Cam Newton is my favorite player ever. … It’s insane.”
But Cam Newton 2.0 isn’t going to end happily for the Panthers, who will be fortunate not to lose out and finish 5-12.
Bringing Cam back was a worthwhile gamble. But it’s not working.
There’s a QB answer out there somewhere for the Panthers. But it’s not on this roster.
