Panthers in a Difficult Position with Derek Anderson Starting at QB

The Carolina Panthers' season could end exactly how it started...with Derek Anderson at quarterback.

Panthers faithful will hope it ends as positively as it began, but Anderson is being placed into a difficult situation.

Anderson will start Sunday after Cam Newton was injured in a car accident Tuesday, as reported by the Charlotte Observer. Newton was transported to Carolinas Medical Center and diagnosed with two transverse process fractures in his lower back.

The Panthers quarterback was held overnight for observation. Newton was discharged from the hospital Wednesday.

The general consensus is Newton will likely miss at least one game, but he could be back the following week against the Cleveland Browns. After all, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo only missed one week of play earlier this season when he suffered the same injury.

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera confirmed to ESPN.com's David Newton that Anderson will start, but he didn't want to speculate on how long Newton will actually be out of the lineup:

Anderson is one of the better backups in the league, and he'll be ready to perform despite the unfortunate circumstances. As TWCNews.com's Mike Solarte tweeted, this type of situation is exactly why the Panthers retained Anderson as the team's No. 2 signal-caller:

History isn't on Anderson's side, though.

The last time the 10-year veteran was placed in a similar situation, the 6'6" quarterback came up small.

Anderson's only season as a full-time starter came in 2007 as a member of the Cleveland Browns. It ended up being a Pro Bowl campaign for the quarterback. However, he let his team down during the last three games of the season with the playoffs on the line.

The Browns were in the midst of a playoff run with an 8-5 record. Anderson's performances in those final three games were very poor when his team needed him the most:

Opponent	Completion %	Passing Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
Bills	37.5	137	0	0
Bengals	60.4	251	2	4
49ers	55.0	152	1	1

The Browns did win two of those contests—one was an 8-0 victory when a blizzard hit Buffalo—but Anderson did every little to lift his team and carry it to the playoffs.

The crucial loss came in Week 16 when the Browns needed a victory over the Bengals to clinch a playoff berth. Instead, the quarterback threw the game away with four interceptions. Since the Browns didn't own the tiebreaker, a season-finale victory against the San Francisco 49ers became meaningless in the team's attempt to play in the postseason.

Anderson certainly is in familiar territory, as Newton's status remains undetermined.

Not only will the veteran gunslinger need to keep his team's playoff hopes alive, but he'll have to do so against the one team he started against this season.

In the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Anderson was named QB1 while Newton was dealing with injured ribs and a recuperating ankle.

The Oregon State product played well, too. Anderson completed 24 of his 34 passes (70.6 completion percentage) for 230 yards and a pair of touchdown tosses.

According to the Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones, Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith already stated that the team's preparation won't change with Anderson behind center.

Smith also paid the quarterback a compliment on his play earlier in the season, per the Charlotte Observer's Joseph Person:

While the Buccaneers' preparation won't change with Anderson under center, how they defend him will certainly be different than how Tampa Bay would approach playing Newton.

Newton is one of the NFL's top dual-threat quarterbacks. His performance Sunday during a 41-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome was arguably his best of the season.

The Panthers' coaching staff implemented the zone read to open up the offense and allowed Newton to become a bigger part of the running attack. The quarterback finished with 12 carries for 83 yards.

Anderson, on the other hand, is a statuesque pocket passer who stretches the field vertically with a big arm. But he doesn't bring that same running dynamic that Newton does. It's a disadvantage against the Buccaneers or any opponent Anderson faces as the starting quarterback.

Smith was upfront with the media Wednesday knowing full well that the Panthers can't attack the Buccaneers the same way they did against the Saints, via Person:

Anderson's lack of mobility will likely condense the Panthers offense and limit it to the point where the team could miss the playoffs.

Newton's athleticism and ability to escape the pocket help on two fronts.

First, his ability to contribute to the running game with the zone read, bootleg action or simple quarterback draws opens up lanes for the running backs. A defender has to maintain his gap integrity or even contain on the back side.

The threat of Newton taking advantage of these areas if it's overaggressive slows down the entire defense. It starts to play on its heels.

Furthermore, a running quarterback is far more difficult to prepare for when it comes to an opponent's pass rush. Some teams will slow-play their rush in order to prevent running lanes from opening. Others are forced to use a spy at linebacker, which leaves one less defender in coverage.

All these little things affect opposing defenses, while the Panthers offense is helped simply because of Newton's mobility. These are things that the Buccaneers and future opponents no longer have to account for in their game plans.

Anderson, meanwhile, is a known commodity. He's going to stand tall in the pocket and try to deliver ropes to his receivers. He's not going to move around much. He's not going to evade the rush.

The problem with Anderson's cement feet is Carolina owns one of the NFL's worst offensive lines—an offensive line that featured seven different starting units in a row prior to Sunday.

After last weekend's contest, Newton was still the NFL's second-most sacked quarterback, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and the only team to surrender more quarterback hurries than Carolina were the New Orleans Saints, who have thrown the ball 48 more times.

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

While the Buccaneers as a team have played poorly most of this season, Tampa Bay's defensive line is one of the most talented and active units in the league.

Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is simply one of the NFL's best. Clinton McDonald, one of the team's top free-agent signings, gobbled up quarterbacks three times in the past three weeks. Defensive end Jacquies Smith continues to be one of the team's bright spots after signing with the Buccaneers in September and developing into a starter only a month ago. In those four games, Smith registered five sacks.

The Panthers may have an advantage over the Buccaneers is just about every other area, but the ability to block the Buccaneers' defensive front will be a tall task.

Anderson playing behind this offensive line after all the turnover the unit experienced could be a disaster as the 4-8-1 Panthers attempt to win the NFC South.

The organization doesn't know exactly when Newton will return either. There have to be concerns for the Panthers' brass about rushing Newton back from the injury due to his style of play and the team's porous offensive front.

His health is the utmost concern for all involved, and the organization may have no other choice than to start Anderson during the final three games.

The Panthers are now Anderson's team. If that's only one game against the Buccaneers or the rest of the season, Carolina needs its backup quarterback to perform like a starter for the franchise to make the playoffs.

It doesn't looking promising, though.

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