Cam Newton wanted to play ‘in the worst way’

The news that Cam Newton wouldn’t be playing Sunday came as a late shock, but the Carolina Panthers still rolled to a 20-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It turned out that backup Derek Anderson outplayed Tampa Bay’s new quarterback Josh McCown.

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Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer broke the news that Newton wasn’t likely to play in the Week 1 matchup against the Buccaneers. According to David Newton of ESPN.com, Newton didn’t find out until Saturday night, when head coach Ron Rivera informed his star quarterback he wasn’t playing.

"Coach Ron Rivera said starting quarterback Cam Newton was visibly upset when informed Saturday night that he wasn’t playing, in order to give the fractured ribs another week to heal. Rivera said Newton tried to talk him out of the decision. “Believe me, he wanted to play in the worst way,” the coach said."

It makes sense that Rivera wouldn’t want to risk the health of his star player in the first game of the season. He reportedly talked with team doctors and trainers, who said one major hit could result in a setback for Newton’s ribs.

Meanwhile, the Panthers looked fine without him. Anderson completed 24 of 34 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions and the running game racked up 113 yards against a stout Tampa Bay front.

For Newton, he was able to watch rookie Kelvin Benjamin show off for 92 yards and a score and see that his old target in Greg Olsen is still a mismatch for defenses. Despite the loss of Steve Smith, Newton should have some weapons to work with.

Newton is on track to start Week 2 against the Detroit Lions.