Panthers coach Ron Rivera says Kyle Allen will start at quarterback this week against the Cardinals if Cam Newton is unable to play, per Joe Person of The Athletic.
Newton is dealing with the same midfoot sprain that took him out of the third preseason game of the year early and limited him the next 10 days of practice. Cam apparently aggravated the injury in last Thursday night’s more-brutal-by-the-minute loss to the Buccaneers.
Safety Eric Reid told reporters today that Newton is in a walking boot, which appears to be corroborated on Twitter.
Allen split the backup quarterback duties with rookie third-round pick Will Grier for most of the offseason, but eventually won the battle despite playing poorly in the preseason. Grier was far worse and clearly cannot be expected to perform at this level just yet.
If Newton is ruled out and anything happens to Allen, offensive coordinator Norv Turner should give serious thought to running the wildcat with Christian McCaffrey.
However, Rivera also told reporters that he doesn’t think the Panthers will sign a veteran free agent.
Wagering for Sunday’s game between the Cardinals and Panthers has been suspended everywhere, as far as we can tell. Carolina was considered a 3.5-point favorite when betting opened early in the week but had dropped to 2.5 this morning.
