Cam Newton Making Carolina Panthers a Legitimate Playoff Contender

There are two things you can say about Cam Newton’s rookie debut.

The first is that anybody who thinks of him solely as a runner will have to take a second look after his 422-yard output in a 28-21 loss at Arizona.

The second is that anyone who thinks that Carolina is a soft spot on the schedule will have to make a similar re-evaluation.

Newton, whose yardage eclipsed Peyton Manning’s record for a rookie in the first week of the season and tied Matthew Stafford for the most yardage by any NFL rookie ever, had the previously woeful Panthers in a 21-all tie before an 89-yard punt return by rookie Patrick Peterson gave Arizona the winning margin.

Even then, at the end of a day when he went 24-for-37. Newton had Carolina in position to push for overtime until his fourth-down pass at the two-yard line left the Panthers a yard short. He’ll learn from that.

What the rest of the league is going to learn is that Newton is poised to be one of those players who can put a franchise on his back and get it moving in the right direction. He was, after all, playing Sunday on the same field in Glendale, Ariz. where he led Auburn to its second national title just nine months ago.

He knows something about winning, and it’s his goal to get that experience going again in Carolina. His debut game said that better than any words can.