Rhule: Panthers 'trending' toward starting Newton vs. WFT

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Rhule: Panthers 'trending' toward starting Cam Newton vs. Washington

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 11/17/21

Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule hasn't officially tapped his starting QB for the weekend's game against the Washington Football Team, but it is looking more and more like Cam Newton is going to get the start over P.J. Walker.

In his press conference, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule says “we’re trending that way” in terms of Cam Newton starting on Sunday.

He said they’ll continue to have P.J. Walker ready as well, but plenty of signs pointing towards Cam starting against Washington.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 17, 2021

Rhule said he didn't want to get too much into revealing his game plan to the media, instead insisting both Newton and Walker will be ready to play.

"I'm not going to probably pull that trigger until later," Rhule said, via Sports Illustrated. "I was pretty transparent the other day that we're wanting to push (Cam) into that role. I think it's good for our team but we're getting P.J. ready as well. As I said, I think game plan wise we could see a myriad of different things happen."

Even if both QBs are prepped, it wouldn't be surprising if Newton got the start.

While Walker did most of the heavy lifting against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, it was Newton who made headlines in his return to his old team, completing three of four passes for eight yards and a touchdown in a 34-10 victory.

Walker, who was tapped to start last week's game in place of the injured Sam Darnold, completed 22-of-29 passes for 167 yards and one interception.

More must-reads: