“We’ve got absolute confidence in Derek”, said head coach Ron Rivera. Of course, the Carolina Panthers are the defending NFC Champions. One can also reasonably expect that Daryl Worley will play the entire game.
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Winston is facing a team that allowed almost 50 points last week, but Carolina’s defense is too good to continue playing that poorly. The spread, via Vegas Insider, has Carolina favored as well. Falling to 1-4 on the season will make it very hard to win 10 games this year and make the playoffs. If the Falcons win in Week 4, there is no way they are going to be in good shape to come back from three games back. Both teams are struggling so far this season, each of them at 1-3.
Newton, who suffered his first documented concussion in Week Four, remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
COWBOYS: Dallas activated DeMarcus Lawrence for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati, clearing the defensive end for his season debut after a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. It is worth noting however that his 133 passing attempts also rank 20th in the league.
Ryan’s favorite target in the win was wide receiver Julio Jones, who amassed 300 receiving yards. To make matters worse, Newton was fined $9,115 for flipping a football in the face of Jones, which he was penalized for during the game, according to NBC Sports.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) lost to the Denver Broncos, 27-7, last week in which quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 179 yards in 17-for-35 passes.
The Panthers have owned Tampa Bay of late regardless of the personnel, winning the teams’ last six meetings by an average of 14.8 points. Their rush offense has been non existent as well with just 82.5 yards per contest.
“Somebody needs to rise up anytime another guy is down”, Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter said. He was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2015. However, Alexander leads the Bucs with 38 tackles and in two games last season, Alexander and company limited Olsen to just a pair of receptions in each contest.
The Buccaneers and Panthers have faced each other 31 times in their history. He is third on the team with 16 catches for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including 10-113-2 combined over the past two weeks. Derek Anderson will get the nod if Newton is unable to go against Tampa Bay, which has dropped three in a row since a season-opening victory over the Falcons. That has prompted both the NFL and the NFL Players Association to look into whether the concussion protocol was properly followed.
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Even if Newton’s injury keeps him out for more than one week, they will continue to be top options moving forward.
