Denver sent their Hall-of-Fame quarterback off into the blue and orange sunset while placing one into the saddle who has never thrown a pass in a regular season game. The next big defensive play was by corner Chris Harris and it was probably the play that won the game for Denver. This allowed Cam Newton to make the plays with his feet or with his arm that were necessary to drive down the field for Carolina’s two touchdowns.
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Newton said he didn’t think Denver was headhunting after the game, and he didn’t blame the officials for missing several calls – though a player who was writhing on his back on the sideline following his first sack taken midway through the third quarter admitted to feeling awful afterwards, saying, “It’s not fun getting hit in the head”.
And that correlates with what fellow safety Darian Stewart, the man who doled out the vicious hit on Newton that has everyone talking, had to say after the game as well.
The officials didn’t throw many penalty flags on his behalf.
Some will remember the Denver Broncos’ 21-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers for its thrilling conclusion: Panthers place-kicker Graham Gano was wide left on a field goal attempt with 4 seconds remaining.
The game started off with the Panthers scoring off a pass from Newton to Kevin Benjamin after a fumble that the Broncos had early in the game putting them up 7-0. I try to warn the refs every time I do get hit in the head. But if the flag’s not called, then it’s okay. Whether he was feeling the effects of the hits or Denver’s defense simply tightened up was unclear, but the Panthers’ offense went from dynamic to lifeless. “We just have to find ways to move the ball and not stay so stagnant for so long periods of time”.
POACHING PANTHERS: Carolina led the league with 39 takeaways last season and had three in the opener, including two on Denver’s first two drives.
“I know you guys are anticipating so much”, Newton said.
Of course, the helmet-to-helmet shot came at a crucial point in the game.
Asked after the game if he felt he received fair and adequate protection from referee Gene Steratore and his crew, Newton said: “It’s not my job to question the officials. I think you saw that tonight”, Siemian said.
The NFL returned Thursday night with many of its trademark attributes: A close game, some debatable officiating calls and the specter of an undiagnosed concussion. “They concluded there were no indications of a concussion that would require further evaluation and the removal of the player”.
And oh, as for why he was flossing, Newton said, “I was eating oranges at halftime”.
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Right or wrong, the pounding the Broncos planned and delivered had an effect – not just the apparent headshots from Jared Crick, Brandon Marshall, Von Miller and Stewart, but consecutive, legal hits from Shaquil Barrett and DeMarcus Ware midway through the third quarter than had Newton talking to doctors and grabbing his right lower leg on the bench. As the Charlotte Observer points out, “the new concussion protocol is in place to save all National Football League teams from themselves in these very situations”.
