It didn’t take long for Cam Newton to have an effect on the Panthers’ offense in his return to the team he quarterbacked from 2011 through 2019. The 2015 NFL MVP and 2020 New England Patriot, signed by his former team this week after starting quarterback Sam Darnold was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, wasn’t going to start on short notice ahead of P.J. Walker. But that didn’t mean that head coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Joe Brady didn’t have plans for Newton against the Cardinal’s shaky run defense.
After Arizona quarterback Colt McCoy fumbled the ball on a sack with 13:41 left in the first quarter, and the Panthers recovered the ball at the Arizona 15-yard line. From there, Walker fumbled the ball himself, which he recovered, and then, after three run plays, Newton was sent in at quarterback. The result was a two-yard touchdown run.
CAM NEWTON IS BACK.
📺: #CARvsAZ on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/6gM8zX7UMX— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2021
It was a great return for Newton, and not a surprise given his 70 career rushing touchdowns, by far the most for any quarterback in NFL history.