The Carolina Panthers lost to their division rival Atlanta Falcons, 29-21, on Sunday. In the loss, starting quarterback Cam Newton struggled. He finished 15-of-23 for 178 yards passing. He threw one interception and fumbled twice, losing one of them.
In the second quarter with the game tied at 7-7, Newton threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. He was then benched by head coach Matt Rhule. Panthers back up quarterback P.J. Walker came into the game and promptly threw an interception of his own on his second pass attempt.
Both quarterbacks played from there on out, with neither performing very well. After the game, Matt Rhule discussed his plans at quarterback for the Panthers, per ESPN's David Newton.
Rhule is sticking by his veteran quarterback. Despite his struggles passing the ball, his mobility and nose for the goal line appear to be keeping him the job.
This was the second-straight game that Newton was benched by Rhule. Newton was also benched in Week 13 in a blowout loss to the Miami Dolphins.
After a 3-0 start to the season, the Panthers have lost eight of their last 10 games and have fallen to last place in the NFC South. The Panthers are now 5-8 and sit 12th in the conference. However, the Washington Football Team is only one game ahead and currently hold the final wild card spot. So, the season is not entirely lost.
Injuries have played a big part in the team's struggles, with running back Christian McCaffrey missing the majority of the season due to an injury. They also lost Sam Darnold to a season-ending injury earlier in the year. These prompted the team to go out and sign Newton.
Carolina will play at Buffalo next week.
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