Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has taken responsibility for the team’s 20-14 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football.
Newton finished with 324 passing yards but he went just 24-of-50 and didn’t throw a touchdown. He missed some crucial throws on their final drive which could have won them the game. But despite looking far from his best, Newton refused to make his health an excuse for his poor play.
“I feel OK,” Newton said per Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “You're not going to hear no type of reasons why tonight didn't go as planned. I have to be better, no matter what physical condition I'm in, no matter what foot, shoulder, I didn't get the job done tonight. And it's frustrating, I wish I could say something other than that, but that's the facts.”
With the loss, the Panthers are now 0-2 on the season. Newton has yet to throw a touchdown pass in 88 pass attempts thus far.
While it’s big of Newton to take the blame for the defeat, questions will inevitably be raised about the status of his surgically repaired shoulder as he continues to struggle to pass the football. It was a major taking point for the entire offseason, and he has done nothing to dispell those concerns.
Newton and the Panthers will have 10 days off until their next game on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. If he still doesn’t play well in that game, then the murmurs about his health will only continue to grow louder, whether he likes it or not.
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