Boy, that was ugly. Facing off against the New England Patriots, Sam Darnold and the Carolina Panthers lost in embarrassing fashion to drop down to 4-5 on the season. It’s obvious now that Darnold is not the quarterback of the future, yet Carolina remains in the playoff race. The Panthers need an upgrade at quarterback, and Cam Newton is easily the best option available.
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Carolina Panthers Need to Bring Back Cam Newton
Sam Darnold Isn’t It
After a promising start to the season, Sam Darnold has been nothing short of disastrous over the past month. After nine weeks of action, the quarterback ranks 31st in EPA+CPOE, 28th in EPA/play, 31st in CPOE, and 29th in QBR. Basically, he’s been playing at the same level as Jared Goff and all of the non-Mac Jones rookies. Darnold is a veteran and Goff has nothing to work with, so there is a very strong case to be made that the Panthers have the worst quarterback situation in football.
J.C. JACKSON WILL TAKE THAT 88 YARDS TO THE HOUSE! #ForeverNE
📺: #NEvsCAR on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/jpx2XlRZ0D— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2021
Unfortunately, these underwhelming numbers are par for the course with Darnold. From 2018 to 2020, there were 27 quarterbacks with 1,000 or more plays. Of those 27, Darnold ranked dead last in EPA+CPOE, EPA/play, and 25th in CPOE. Granted, he was in a poor situation, but it’s hard to be that inefficient without being pretty bad yourself.
The Jets didn’t give Darnold much to work with, but he has no excuse in Carolina. While the offensive line is subpar, a good quarterback would find a way to succeed in this situation. D.J. Moore is one of the better young receivers in the game, Robby Anderson proved last year that he can be an effective part of this offense, and Terrace Marshall had a great collegiate profile. Darnold’s shortcomings fall on nobody but himself, and the Panthers need to look for a better option to keep their season alive.
Cam Newton Can Bring Carolina to the Playoffs
Despite Darnold’s lackluster play, the Panthers are still right in the thick of the playoff race. While they don’t stand a shot at the NFC South crown, they could still push a Wild Card spot. The NFC is a mess beyond the top five teams, and the Panthers have some talent. The defense, offensive weapons, and scheme are above-average, all this team needs is the right quarterback to lead the charge.
With the trade deadline gone, the clear best option available is Cam Newton. Anyone reading this article obviously knows that Newton and the Panthers had something of a messy breakup, so I won’t rehash that here. However, after two years, both sides should be able to put aside their differences and work towards the future. Newton wants the opportunity to prove that he’s still a starting quarterback, while the Panthers need an upgrade at the game’s most important position.
Can Cam Newton come back and do what he did in 2015? Absolutely not. However, he doesn’t need to be an MVP-caliber player to improve this team’s odds of making the playoffs. Newton wasn’t great during his lone season with the New England Patriots, but his efficiency numbers then were actually better than Darnold’s now.
Damiere Byrd is having a DAY!
Cam Newton’s first touchdown pass to a wide receiver this season…pic.twitter.com/OWsB9LOOlh
— Guy Boston Sports (@GuyBostonSports) November 22, 2020
Keep in mind that Newton was working in a completely different offense in a shortened offseason with arguably the worst supporting cast in football. It stands to reason that he can still be a top-20 quarterback, and that’s all the Panthers need to make a playoff push.
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