Newton matched a career best with three touchdowns passes and also ran for one touchdown in the Panthers’ 41-10 victory. He completed 21 of 33 passes for 226 yards and rushed for 83 yards, marking the fourth time in his four-year career that he has had at least 200 passing yards, multiple passing touchdowns, at least 80 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the same game.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart watched Cam Newton progress from the moment the quarterback came into the league as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2011, just months after Newton won the Heisman Trophy and led Auburn to a national championship.
As a rookie, Newton threw for 4,051 yards and 21 touchdowns, rushed for 706 yards and 14 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl. He became the first player in NFL history to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 2,000 in his first four seasons.
All great, but this year Stewart said he saw Newton raise his game to new heights.
Newton became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 30 touchdowns and run for at least 10 scores. Most important, Newton led Carolina to a berth in Super Bowl 50.
“He’s raised his game quite a bit,” Stewart said Monday during Super Bowl Opening Night at SAP Center ahead of the Panthers’ showdown against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. “He spends a lot of time watching film and doing extra stuff in the weight room. He’s dedicated. It’s inspiring to see a guy work so hard and to see it pay off, to let the world know, this is Cam Newton, he’s a great football player, whether you like it or not. It’s been fun to see.”
Newton drew a crowd nine deep at his center-stage podium and fielded questions as deftly as he learned to read NFL defenses. When he was asked what “clicked” for himself this season, Newton spread praise to his teammates.
“I just think it’s a lot of supporting cast that went into it,” Newton said. “I don’t want to take all the credit because it wasn’t just me that made impacts on the field. A lot of guys are getting overlooked.”
Denver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said he has never seen a quarterback like Newton.
“None of us have,” Phillips said. “He’s a tremendous talent. He’s put it all together. I’m sure he’s going to be MVP of the league this year.
“It’s another big challenge. You go from (Ben) Roethlisberger to Tom Brady, think it won’t get any tougher, and now you’re going against Cam Newton.
“We’re preparing all we can for a guy like that. He’s so versatile that he just gives you so many problems that a regular drop-back quarterback (doesn’t). He is a top-notch drop-back quarterback, but he can run with it better than the rest of them.”
At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Newton is built more like an NFL tight end than a prototypical quarterback. Add to that his rocket arm and 4.6 speed, and it is clear why Newton is a one-of-a-kind quarterback, for reasons that have zero to do with his dance-filled touchdown celebrations.
This season, Newton took his game to another level, earning first-team All-Pro honors. He became the first player in NHL history to pass for at least 30 touchdowns and run for at least 10 scores in a season.
Newton had a career-high passer rating of 99.2, threw a career-high 35 touchdown passes (tying for second in the NFL) and had a career-low 10 interceptions. Only Tom Brady threw more TD passes with 36, and he had 129 more attempts than Newton.
Newton also tied for fifth in the NHL with 10 rushing touchdowns, one behind the league leaders: Devonta Freeman, Jeremy Hill, Adrian Peterson and DeAngelo Williams, all running backs. Newton ranked 31st in rushing with 636 yards, more than every other quarterback, gaining many of those yards on designed running plays.
“There’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to be the MVP,” Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning said. “He’s been awesome. He’s been a great passer. He’s been a great runner. He’s been a great leader. You don’t go 17-1 without being awesome. His passion, his enthusiasm for the game, I think it’s great for football.”
Newton said he considers any praise from “the Sheriff” to be high, indeed. Manning was one of the NFL quarterbacks he grew up admiring and studying.
“And it’s funny how life goes that the people that you look up to end up being the people that are your competition,” Newton said. “I remember growing up watching Peyton Manning, watching Tom Brady, watching John Elway, Steve Young, Steve McNair, Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick.
“I just put it in my own way. And I think that’s the key of staying hip or staying fresh, being able to be a student of the game and apply different things and put it in your own type of flavor.”
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said the stage was set for Newton’s breakout season this year when Carolina won its final four games in 2014 to capture the NFC South then beat the Arizona Cardinals in a wild-card playoff game before falling to the Seattle Seahawks.
After starting 3-8-1 in 2014, the Panthers switched gears offensively and went to a no-huddle offense with Newton typically in the shotgun, reading defenses pre-snap and choosing from a handful of plays from offensive coordinator Mike Shula.
This year, the Panthers picked up where they left off last season with Newton leading the way. They won their first 14 games, extending their regular-season winning streak to 18, before falling 20-13 to the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 27, their only loss of the season.
“He controls that whole offense,” Broncos linebacker Von Miller said. “As Cam goes, so goes that offense.”
With a combined 45 touchdowns passing and running, Newton has had plenty of chances to celebrate this season. And he has been a lightning rod of sorts, attracting criticism for his exuberant reactions.
“I don’t hurt their feelings,” Newton said. “I’m not breaking any bones. I’m not doing anything that might physically hurt them. I ‘m just doing something that I love to do. I’m happy.”
More this year than ever before in his NFL career.
