Cam Newton will have ‘no limitations’

Carolina Panthers star quarterback Cam Newton missed last week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but backup quarterback Derek Anderson looks legit and commanded an accurate, controlled offense in a narrow, gritty victory over their bitter rivals. Anderson gave the Panthers plenty of optimism if Newton ever has to go down with an injury again, though his strong preseason play likely gave the organization faith in his ability to get the job done. He’s proving that his big 2007 season with the Cleveland Browns was no fluke and that he’s a top backup in this league.

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Newton is back to full health after missing that Week 1 game with a rib injury, though he could have played. The Panthers were just worried that their tough-as-nails QB would aggravate the injury, and that would have put him on the shelf for a couple of more weeks. I mean, it wouldn’t have been wise to trust their makeshift offensive line against Gerald McCoy, Michael Johnson, and Clinton McDonald (McCoy was, of course, beastly last week, though Johnson and McDonald had disappointing debuts for the Buccaneers).

The Panthers have an even tougher matchup today against the Detroit Lions, as the Lions tore up the New York Giants on Monday Night Football last week. With DeAngelo Williams expected to miss today’s game, there will be more pressure on Newton, especially since the Lions secondary is considerably weaker than their front seven due to their lack of depth at corner.

Per a source close to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Newton will have “no limitations” today against the Lions, and his rib fracture is a thing of the past at this point in time. As for the thing of the future, keep an eye out for the rapport between Newton and his new “X” receiver Kelvin Benjamin, though I’m sure that’s already one of the things at the top of your “What to Watch for” list in today’s matchup.