Kyle Allen show continues: Panthers already ruling out Cam Newton for Week 4

The Carolina Panthers don’t need to rush Cam Newton back, after replacement Kyle Allen threw four touchdowns on Sunday.

Newton will sit a second straight week, the Panthers announced on Monday morning. It’s a bit unusual for a team to rule out a key player so early in the week, but clearly they want Newton to get back to 100 percent.

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Also, Allen’s impressive start against the Arizona Cardinals might ease the urgency to get Newton back on the field.

Panthers giving Cam Newton rest for his foot

The Panthers didn’t drag out the suspense on Newton’s status for this week’s game at the Houston Texans.

“What Cam needs right now is time and rest for his foot. We want him at 100 percent when he’s ready, so there’s no exact timetable for his return,” coach Ron Rivera said. “At this point, we’re going to go forward with Kyle as our starter.”

Newton hurt his foot in the preseason. In Week 2 he struggled in a Thursday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it seemed clear he wasn’t right.

The Panthers fell to 0-2, Newton was inured and it seemed Carolina was in big trouble. Until Allen got the Panthers back on track in Arizona.

Kyle Allen comes up big

We don’t know where this story is headed, but Allen looked better on Sunday than Newton looked in the first two games of the season.

Allen was 19-of-26 for 261 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Arizona has a porous defense, but it was still an impressive performance. Allen also played well in his first NFL start, a meaningless Week 17 game last season at the New Orleans Saints.

Newton is a former MVP and one of the league’s biggest stars. But he’s hurt now, and Allen can make things complicated on the Panthers by playing well however long he holds the job.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) walks off the field following the Panthers 20-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. (AP)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) walks off the field following the Panthers 20-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. (AP)

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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