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Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton once again had a performance to forget this season, as he recorded a pair of turnovers in his team's 29-21 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Newton opened up the game on a promising note, as he led Carolina to a nine-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by his 12-yard rushing touchdown. However, he failed to build on momentum from this pivotal drive. For one, he threw a costly interception that was returned the other way by Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker for a 66-yard pick-six in the second quarter.
Rhule has previously noted that he aims to use P.J. Walker in notable situations during games, and this turned out to be the case as the backup quarterback made an appearance over the late stages of the first half. However, he subsequently went on to throw an interception to Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell on his second pass of the contest.
Newton returned to the game in the Panthers’ opening possession of the third quarter, where he led them to a crucial 60-yard touchdown drive. But after back-to-back sluggish drives, Walker was subbed into the game for good as he finished the remainder of the contest.
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Rhule confirmed after the game that Newton is still Carolina's starting quarterback, but he is far from pleased with his two turnovers.
“Catastrophic,” Rhule said of Newton’s two turnovers. “We can’t have multiple-turnover games.”
Overall, Newton has now been benched five times in his last 14 starts.
The Panthers have now dropped to a 5-8 record on the year. A crucial road clash with the Buffalo Bills awaits them in Week 15 — an opponent that Newton faced off against twice during his lone season with the New England Patriots.
