Cam Newton Won't Replicate His Insane Outing vs. Cardinals Again for Panthers

Cam Newton should get used to losing in 2011.  Yeah, his performance against the Arizona Cardinals gives the Carolina Panthers boundless hope for the future. 

It doesn’t matter, though, because at least for this season, the huge numbers he put up vs. the Cards are a fluke.

Newton went 24-for-37 for 422 yards though the air along with two touchdowns and an interception.  He also added 18 yards on the ground and another touchdown.  He put the Panthers on his back, but don’t expect him to do the same next week and the week after that.

First off, it was Newton’s rookie debut.  There is now plenty of NFL film on him for his opponents to dissect.  Vince Young was a stud his rookie season until defenses adjusted and exposed the young quarterback.

The team that Newton put up those numbers against—not the Green Bay Packers, not the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Arizona Cardinals—fields one of the worst secondaries in the entire NFL.  Last season, their pass defense surrendered huge numbers week in and week out.  This offseason, they drafted Patrick Peterson, but then they traded Pro Bowler Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Greg Toler tore his ACL.

Not only was 'Zona untalented and unprepared, they overemphasized stopping the run.  On the game, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart carried the ball a combined 19 times for just 56 yards.  The Cardinals were going to force Newton to win the game for Carolina from the start, and that allowed him to post inflated numbers.

Now, I’m not calling the Heisman Trophy winner a bust.  Saying that his rookie year will end up being a failure is a stretch as well.  Newton’s potential is through the roof and he flashed his sky-high ceiling against the Cards, but he won’t be an instant savior like his stats in Week 1 would suggest.

Four out of Carolina's next five opponents include the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons.  Those defenses are on another level than Arizona's.  

Newton may just be the player that will lead the Panthers back to prominence—it was the first time he had lost a meaningful game in years for a reason—but that success will come in 2012 or 2013, not 2011.

David Daniels is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow him on Twitter.