After re-aggravating the left foot sprain the Carolina quarterback suffered during the third preseason game in New England, the 0-2 Panthers will be without Cam Newton this Sunday as they head to Arizona to vie for their first win, Ron Rivera said Friday afternoon.
After declining to name a starter on Thursday, the team confirmed what most thought was a foregone conclusion.
“He worked through a lot of the soreness this week, felt pretty good at the end of the week,” said Rivera. “The one thing we don’t want to do is have another setback. So we want to make sure he is ready to roll and his foot can handle it.”
“It’ll continue to be a day-by-day thing.”
Newton first suffered the injury only 11 snaps into his first preseason action and after missing over a week of practice, returned to the practice fields ahead of the Panthers Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Newton, who had an arthroscopic procedure on his throwing shoulder in January – his second in three years – told reporters four days before his first regular season action that he “felt like a rookie again.”
“Having fun, feeling good and the thrill is still there. I’m blessed, man. Just knowing that – you’ve got to put a lot of things into perspective,” said Newton two weeks ago. “So, for me, being in year nine, I’m just as humbled to have the opportunity. I want, everytime a person sees me play, talk or whatever, I want them to see the joy as if it’s day one – because that’s how I feel.”
Newton would finish 25-of-38 for 239 yards, no touchdowns and an interception in the Panthers 30-27 loss to the Rams – he would also rush for negative yardage for the first time in his career; in his vlog, he would say that he left the game with “no added-on injuries.”
However, Newton appeared to tweak the foot on a first quarter incompletion last Thursday night against the Bucs on a play where Newton broke the pocket and scrambled to his right before throwing the ball out of bounds – after the play finished, Newton hopped and looked to test the foot before wincing on his way back to the huddle – the Panthers QB was 7-of-8 before that pass and 18-of-42 the rest of the night as the Panthers would fall to 0-2 after the 20-14 loss.
Newton would only rush twice – for zero yards – on Thursday night and was used as a decoy on the final offensive play of the game with the Panthers needing a half-yard for a first down at the goalline.
With Newton out, the Panthers will turn to second-year player Kyle Allen, who started in Week 17 of last season and led the Panthers to a 33-14 win over the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome.
“I think Kyle is more than ready,” Rivera said earlier this week after practice. “I think Kyle did some really good things last year, showed us what he is capable of. He had a good preseason. Had a whole bunch of ups – a few downs – but for the most part, he knows the offense, and he knows it very well. So we feel confident about it, we really do.”
“There’s a reason that we have him on our team, and that’s that we believe in him,” said running back Christian McCaffrey. “I just worry about my part because I know he’s going to take care of his.”
“I know what he can do – I know that he can play. Nothing’s shocking. You practice with the guy all week and you see him make the throws and you see him make the plays in practice [and] you believe he can do it in the game.”
Newton will not travel with the team.
Star defensive tackle Kawann Short, who has been battling a shoulder injury and missed practice all week, as well as tight end Greg Olsen, are both listed as questionable – both seem on track to play with Rivera saying he’s “cautiously optimistic” about Short. If Short is unable to go, Vernon Butler would get a jersey for the first time this season.
Outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, who has not played as of yet this season, and Rashaan Gaulden, who mans the ‘big nickel’ spot, will not be available on Sunday.
Here’s a full look at Friday’s injury report:
| Player | Injury | Game Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Newton | Foot | Out | Kyle Allen Will Start |
| Bruce Irvin | Hamstring | Out | Missed Week 1 and 2 |
| Rashaan Gaulden | Groin | Out | Missed Week 2 |
| Brandon Greene | Neck | Out | |
| Greg Olsen | Back | Questionable | Was also questionable last week but had over 100 yards receiving |
| Kawann Short | Shoulder | Questionable |
