The Panthers have lost four straight games to fall to 6-6, and now they have injury issues which could make fixing things difficult.
Via Joe Person of The Athletic, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said he suffered a ruptured plantar fascia in his right foot, and indicated it was a season-ending problem.
Olsen missed three weeks earlier this year after suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot, the same one that cost him nine games last year. Olsen said the latest injury was a result of compensating for earlier problems, and that it was time to fix it.
That’s bad enough, but the worse news could be that Cam Newton’s right shoulder continues to be an issue.
He had surgery in March 2017 and hasn’t seemed right all year, unable to throw deep as effectively as in the past. They’ve game-planned away from that and he’s played with some degree of efficiency, but Sunday his protection wasn’t good (four sacks) and neither was he (four interceptions).
Panthers coach Ron Rivera acknowledged that the shoulder was a problem for Newton, whose new throwing routine (very little during midweek practices) has been described as “the new normal.”
For the second time this season, the Panthers put backup Taylor Heinicke in to throw a Hail Mary, this time from their own 49-yard line. It’s hardly what they need to hear during a losing streak, with a new owner in David Tepper who may or may not be patient with his big-ticket investment.