Cam Newton's game should put the Carolina Panthers in panic mode

Cam Newton is supposed to be in good health. After a 2018 season in which a shoulder injury to Newton partially injured the Panthers' season, the quarterback underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery in January. That led to a long rehab for the Panthers passer, but Newton was a full participant in Carolina's two games this season. Last week, Newton himself said that he was feeling "like a rookie again," and head coach Ron Rivera said his QB was "exactly where we need him" .

If you had the misfortune to have watched Thursday Football this week, you are probably skeptical of these reports. Against the Bucs, Newton completed only 24 out of 50 passes for 324 yards, no touchdowns and zero picks in the game, reflecting alarming lack of accuracy in multiple throws. The Panthers had a chance to win the game but eventually lost against the Buccaneers, 20-14, and are now 0-2 although they have played both home games. And do not let the 14 points fool you – Caroline scored four goals and got a security; the offense failed to score a touchdown.

Newton's 324 yards look nice, but the less than 50% completion percentage and the absence of touchdowns give him the story of his evening. To get an idea of ​​what Newton has done against Tampa Bay, there is no need to look beyond his last race, in which the Panthers still have a chance to win. Within two minutes of Carolina in the Buccaneers territory, Newton misunderstood D.J. Moore:

A few minutes later, he hit Christian McCaffrey's feet in a pass that was better than an incomplete fall anyway:

At the next play, he missed a pass that might have been for Moore or Curtis Samuel:

According to next generation statistics, the percentage of completion expected by Cam Newton in this game (based on "the separation of the receiver of the nearest defender, where the receiver is on the ground, the separation that the smuggler had at the time of the closest defender's throw, etc. ") was 60.7%; Newton completed 49.0%. This 11.7 percentage point deficit is the maximum recorded by a quarterback in a game this season and indicates Newton's accuracy difficulties on Thursday. Unfortunately for the Panthers, it does not look like a coincidence: in the first week, Newton achieved 65.8% of his passes despite an expected success percentage of 71.8, a deficit of 6.0 points, tied with the fifth worst result of the season. league and Newton thrown deeply just once this week. In 2018, Newton's percentage of completion was 2.5 percentage points. better provided that. Cam does not look like he is throwing the football.

Thursday, Newton's problems were not limited to his precision. The double threat passer has been one of the most productive quarterback rushers in NFL history, but has only recorded two attempts at 0 yards at night. The Panthers seem to protect Newton from the blows: Despite the many situations in which a QB sneaked from Newton would have been a call to play perfect, the Panthers have never missed.

As Warren Sharp points out, the Panthers have used their quarterbacks more than any other team with Newton, and he uses these opportunities more than 80% of the time. Refusing to put pressure on Newton three times in this game is not only strange, it's completely wrong.

Which brings us back to the shoulder. Some of these statistics may vary from week to week, and every quarterback may experience a period of economic downturn, but Newton has spent the entire off season rehabilitating an injured shoulder. It now presents serious problems of precision and an unusual dislike for blows. For 0-2 Panthers, it's more than a concern, it's a reason to panic.