Cam Newton Comments on Potentially Winning MVP

Cam Newton is in the driver’s seat to win the NFL MVP award, yet the Carolina Panthers quarterback indicated the prestigious honor is the last thing on his mind as he anchors the undefeated Carolina Panthers heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.    

"It's irrelevant to me right now," Newton said, per David Newton of ESPN.com.

Newton’s Panthers are the first NFC team in history to start 14-0, thanks in large part to the outstanding play of the dual-threat quarterback who last week became the first player ever to throw for five touchdowns and run for 100 yards in the same game. 

Carolina has locked up the NFC South and a first-round bye in the playoffs, and it could ensure the road to the Super Bowl runs through Charlotte with a win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. 

Newton has been the NFC Offensive Player of the Week four times this season and did so at a rapid rate, per Randall Liu, the NFL's director of NFC football communications:

Newton could join elite company as only the fifth player to win the Heisman Trophy and the NFL MVP award, alongside Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, O.J. Simpson and Paul Hornung. 

His 33 passing touchdowns are second only to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, but Newton's most impressive feat could be that he’s playing at remarkable heights with such limited depth. 

Aside from Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, Newton’s primary receivers are Ted Ginn Jr., Devin Funchess, Philly Brown and Jerricho Cotchery—none of whom stands out as a remarkable aerial threat. Yet Newton has the Panthers poised for a playoff run should they stay the course.

Since climbing to fame in 2010 as a landslide Heisman winner en route to leading the Auburn Tigers to a national championship at 14-0, he's shown flashes of greatness at the pro level. However, it's come together for him this season.

ESPN Stats & Info compared his Heisman performance with 2015's run:

At 6'5" and 245 pounds with cannon-like arm strength and the speed to scramble, he’s developed into arguably the most athletic quarterback in the game. 

But his ascension to the NFL elite wasn’t without growing pains, and adjusting to the speed and smarts of his competition took time and repetition, he said, per ESPN.com's Newton:

"

I can remember when I was early on in this league I would hit a wall. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just wish every day was Sunday.’ But now, you get into a rhythm.

I have to take these type of notes. I have to look at movement keys of what makes this cornerback different than another cornerback. Why is this person coming in on this particular package? I have to be alert for it. It’s overall growth and understanding of trying to perfect your role and create an edge for us to win on Sunday.

"

The Panthers play in a mid-market and in a division that required just seven wins for them to reach the playoffs last year. They simply don’t have the draw of other consistent NFL heavyweights. 

But now on the cusp of history and with arguably this year’s best quarterback under center, they can no longer be ignored.