Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton expected to miss remainder of season
Wednesday 19 December 2018 23:36, UK
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will not play against Atlanta on Sunday, and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Newton has struggled with a sore right shoulder for most of the year as the Panthers sunk to 6-8, and are all-but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with two games remaining.
Carolina coach Ron Rivera has decided that Newton will be benched and Taylor Heinicke will step up to replace the 29-year-old against Atlanta.
Newton missed practice sessions in mid-season with a sore shoulder, the same one that underwent surgery in March 2017 to repair a torn rotator cuff, however this time the cause is unknown.
Rivera has left the door open that Newton could play in the season finale at New Orleans if the playoffs are a possibility.
"He'll be on the 53-man all the way through,'' Rivera told ESPN.
"We had the opportunity to visit with the doctors, the trainers and Cam himself.
"In talking with Marty (Hurney) and the owner (David Tepper), obviously we felt our best opportunity to win a football game was to have a healthy Taylor to start this week
"Crazy enough things can happen and we'll see from there."
Speaking on Monday, Newton said: "I wish I could say what the injury is because I don't really know.
"There's not a night that goes by without me getting some type of work done on my arm.
"It's not something that hasn't got worse over the weeks or hasn't got better over the weeks. It's just been the same."
In 14 starts this season, Newton has completed 320 of 471 passes for 3,395 yards with 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while also rushing for 488 yards and four touchdowns.
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