Cam Newton's Injury Doesn't Limit Panthers With NFC South Up for Grabs

Superman is back, and he truly is indestructible. 

Not even two broken vertebrae prevented Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton from leading his team to a 17-13 victory Sunday over the Cleveland Browns. The Panthers' performance set up a winner-takes-all NFC South showdown against the Atlanta Falcons next weekend.

"The effort was tremendous," Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said after the game, via Panthers.com. "It speaks to who he is and his toughness, but also what he means to his teammates… The way his teammates rallied around him and worked with him."

Newton will be expected to carry the Panthers to a division title despite the injury to his back.

Only 12 days ago, Newton was involved in a scary car accident. The quarterback's truck collided with another vehicle and flipped completely over as he made his way to practice. Newton was placed on a stretcher and taken to the hospital by emergency responders. At the hospital, Newton was diagnosed with two transverse process fractures in his lower back. 

The injury prevented the former No. 1 overall pick from playing in last weekend's contest, but backup quarterback Derek Anderson kept the team's playoff hopes afloat with a 19-17 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Carolina is now riding a three-game winning streak, and Newton's ability to open up the offense was a critical factor for the Panthers' success Sunday. 

A natural inclination for offensive coordinator Mike Shula would have been to protect Newton at all costs. The Panthers could have tried to build a nurturing womb around the sturdy quarterback in order to prevent further injury. Yet Shula did exactly the opposite. 

The entire playbook was available to Newton. Nothing was scaled back. 

In fact, the quarterback finished second on the team Sunday with 12 carries. Those rushing attempts weren't due to Newton scrambling from the pocket. He did so a few times, of course, but Shula sprinkled in the zone read, quarterback draws and naked bootlegs. 

It's amazing to think that less than two weeks after suffering a back injury Shula had the confidence in Newton to call designed running plays. 

Each of those designed plays was very successful too. 

On the third play of the game, Shula called a zone read. Newton easily breezed around the right side of his offensive line for 15 yards. 

Carolina's first touchdown also came courtesy of Newton's legs. On 3rd-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Newton's number was called on a bootleg. The quarterback sauntered into the end zone with no defender within striking distance. 

The scoring scamper placed Newton into rare company only four years into his career, via the Panthers' public relations department: 

"

#Panthers QB Cam Newton scores 32nd rushing TD of his career, tying Bradshaw and Tarkenton for 13th-most all time by a QB in NFL history

— Panthers PR Dept. (@PanthersPR) December 21, 2014"

The Browns clearly weren't expecting Newton to be a major running threat. Cleveland's edge defenders continued to crash down the line of scrimmage against the running backs without an inkling that the quarterback was sneaking out the back door to gain chunks of yardage. 

Newton averaged 5.3 yards her carry and amassed 63 rushing yards.

More importantly, Newton was quite judicious once he broke the pocket. The Browns only registered one sack and very little pressure despite Carolina's ramshackle offensive line. When Newton decided to take off and ran the football, he didn't attempt to gain extra yardage by breaking tackles. Any time a defender neared, the quarterback slid and gained what was available to him. 

This combination of game-planning, mobility and quality decision-making makes Newton a very dangerous weapon out of the backfield. 

The added running dimension slowed Cleveland's pass rush, and Newton was kept upright throughout the contest. The quarterback completed 18 of 31 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. 

Newton's touchdown toss couldn't have come at a better time. 

With the Panthers trailing 13-10 with nine minutes and 59 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the fourth-year quarterback orchestrated his eighth game-winning drive of his career. 

Again, Newton was able to buy extra time due to his mobility before finding running back Jonathan Stewart for a nine-yard touchdown connection. 

The outstanding effort now sets up a playoff atmosphere for the Panthers at the Georgia Dome against the rival Falcons. 

Rivera wouldn't have it any other way, according to the team's website: 

And the issues Newton overcame throughout a turbulent season—including broken ribs and an injured ankle on top of recent back issues—makes the team's current run every sweeter for the quarterback, per Panthers.com: 

These two teams met five weeks ago. The Panthers lost 19-17, and Newton didn't serve as the same rushing threat he has been during his past two performances. Newton ran the ball 12 times against the Browns and New Orleans Saints. The quarterback only ran the ball five times when the Panthers hosted the Falcons.

For the Panthers to claim the NFC South and host a first-round playoff game, they should continue to rely heavily on their quarterback as one of the team's primary running threats. 

Newton is clearly superhuman when it comes to placing the team on his back and carrying the offense despite injuries that lesser quarterbacks wouldn't be able to overcome.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.