Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) runs the ball during the third quarter against the New York Jets at Bank of America Stadium. Panthers defeated the Jets 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton had an easy, efficient outing against the New York Jets yesterday in a 30-20 victory, as the third-year passer out of Auburn completed 16 of 24 (66.7%) for 273 yards without an interception. That yields an excellent 11.4 yards per attempt, and it was almost as if Newton was getting a bullpen-session kind of thing going against a lousy Jets pass defense.
It wasn’t totally breezy for Newton, though, because he did suffer a minor injury early on in the game. Star rookie defensive end Sheldon Richardson got a hard hit on Newton which caused him to go down with an injury, but Newton played through the pain and never missed a snap. Even though the injury didn’t look like anything at the time, it always pays to be diligent and check back for updates following the game.
Thankfully, this isn’t one of those rare cases in which a player actually did suffer a serious injury, as there were some fleeting concerns that Newton could have suffered turf toe yesterday. According to the Associated Press’s Steve Reed, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera stated that this simply isn’t the case and that Newton “should be fine”. This toe injury is minor, and it’s great to hear confirmation that it isn’t the dreaded turf toe.
Cam Newton and the Panthers will take on the New Orleans Saints again next week, and you can bet that the Panthers have nothing but revenge on their mind when they taken on their bitter rivals. A lot is going to be at stake next week, so it’s great to hear that Newton’s injury almost certainly won’t limit his effectiveness either.