Panthers' Ron Rivera: Cam Newton's Shoulder, Foot Injuries Not Affecting Play

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera said following Thursday night's 20-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that shoulder and foot injuries are not affecting quarterback Cam Newton's play, per ESPN's David Newton.

Cam Newton went 25-of-51 passing for 333 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions in the loss, carrying the ball twice for zero yards as well. He has yet to throw a touchdown through the first two weeks of the season, which has played a role in the Panthers going 0-2.

After being limited to 14 games last season, Newton underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right shoulder back in January. The injury became a major talking point after Panthers owner David Tepper mentioned in mid-January that sitting out the 2019 campaign wasn't out of the question for the three-time Pro Bowler.

Newton, however, wound up participating in the team's third preseason game Aug. 22 only to suffer a left foot sprain.

Neither injury proved to be enough to hold Newton out of the lineup as the regular season has gotten underway. After averaging 6.3 yards per pass attempt, though, he faced questions about his shoulder. He made it clear that his shoulder had nothing to do with the lack of downfield throws during the season opener.

In fact, he came out of Week 1 feeling healthy, per ESPN:

"That's what I'm most optimistic about and happy. Being able to gauge the throw. My body feels fine, and you know whatever play was called, I felt confident.

"I didn't even think about my shoulder at any particular point, so that’s a good sign. But I still have got to stay on top of it, as well as my foot."

However, questions crept back up following Thursday night's game.

While Newton threw for more than 300 yards, the 6'5", 245-pound quarterback was not used much in the running game, most notably in key situations. The Panthers had three separate 4th-and-1 situations on Thursday, and only once did Newton carry the ball in that scenario. 

Rivera opted not to call for a QB sneak with Newton on either of the second-half opportunities, including when the Panthers trailed by six and faced a 4th-and-1 at the Tampa Bay 2-yard line with less than 90 seconds to play:

Rivera said after the game that he preferred the play that was called, featuring a direct snap to running back Christian McCaffrey, rather than a QB sneak in that situation.

Newton does not necessarily have to return to his 2015 NFL MVP form in order to silence the noise surrounding his health. The questions will, however, persist at least until the Panthers get in the win column.