By Jordan Long
The Carolina Panthers are preparing to take on the top team in all of the NFL record wise, the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Carolina is looking to improve on their 4-5 record while Arizona seeks a 9th win. The Panthers are going to met quarterback Cam Newton and agreed to a deal. It is a reunion for the quarterback.
The Panthers starting quarterback this season was Sam Darnold. He is going to miss at least 4 weeks dealing with a right shoulder blade fracture. The injury likely happened in the 2nd quarter of the Panthers’ 24-6 loss to the New England Patriots last week. He finished the game, but Darnold didn’t play well. He was 16 of 33 passing for 172 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown and Darnold had 3 interceptions.
According to ESPN, Head Coach Matt Rhule said, “When I looked at him in the game, I didn’t see a bunch of poorly thrown balls. I just saw some decisions we would like to have back.”
Darnold has started all 9 games this year for the Panthers. He hasn’t played great and is becoming a turnover machine. Darnold passed for 1,986 yards and 7 touchdowns. The problem is he isn’t reading the defense well. He takes chances with his arm throwing into double coverage or he just misreads the defense. Those have been 11 interceptions. `
The Panthers will go with quarterback P.J. Walker this week. Walker started 1 game in his NFL career. It came in week 11 last year. He led the Panthers to a 20-0 win over the Lions. He has passed for a total of 401 yards, 1 touchdown, and 5 interceptions. The backup for Walker is Matt Barkley. Barkley has 6 years of NFL experience but he has primarily been a backup. Barkley is 2-5 as a starter passing for 2,699 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions, not a great backup for Walker.
The Panthers signed Cam Newton. Newton was the Panthers starter for 9 years after being the #1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was 68-55-1 as a starter for the Panthers. He tossed for 29,041 yards, 182 touchdowns, and 108 interceptions in a Panthers’ jersey. He helped Carolina to 4 playoff appearances. They advanced to the Super Bowl once, Super Bowl 50, when they lost to the Denver Broncos 24-10.
Last year, Newton was the starter for the New England Patriots. It didn’t work out. He passed for 2,657 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. His record with New England was 7-8. Newton was released on August 31st. There wasn’t a team who wanted him as a backup which is surprising because veteran quarterbacks are difficult to find, especially one with Newton’s knowledge of the NFL game.
Newton improves the backup quarterback position for the Carolina Panthers. He might even start while Darnold is out. The Panthers know what he brings to the table. This makes a lot of sense as a landing spot. The Panthers are in need of a backup quarterback and Newton is a great fit.
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