5 Carolina Panthers who must play better down the stretch

Cam Newton – Carolina Panthers QB

Cam Newton‘s whirlwind return has been handled superbly by the quarterback himself. Even though his outing at the Miami Dolphins didn’t exactly go according to the script.

The former Auburn sensation will have had two weeks to pick things up before taking the field against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 14. This will be a tremendous asset for Newton, who arrived late in the season and also has to cope without Christian McCaffrey for the remainder of the campaign.

Not only this, but the firing of Joe Brady complicates matters further. Especially if Jeff Nixon has a completely different way of thinking.

Simply put, the Carolina Panthers need Newton to be exceptional if they want to harbor any sort of playoff hopes in the coming weeks.

That’s a lot to ask, obviously. The signal-caller hadn’t played a down in 2021 until his cameo at the Arizona Cardinals and Newton now faces five games that will be a referendum on his long-term future with the franchise.

Carolina doesn’t have a better option than Newton. There’s absolutely no doubt about that.

His bombshell return to the organization ignited a spark within the team’s fanbase. So if they can also play their part from the stands, it might give Newton enough motivation to convince those in power he’s worth keeping around.

Production matters here. And Newton was brought in to deliver the goods in a similar fashion to what we saw from the iconic figure during his first stint with the franchise.