Streeter Lecka/Getty Images(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will not play in the teams final preseason game this week after he suffered a hairline fracture of the ribs during Saturday’s game, head coach Ron Rivera said in an announcement Sunday.
Coach Rivera added he expects Newton to play in the regular season opener.
“I do, but a lot of it is he had to get past the soreness, which we expect, and we’ll see how he starts to progress,” Rivera said.
Newton underwent both an MRI and a CAT scan after showing up to practice in a great deal of pain. The tests showed that the quarterback suffered the break when New England’s Jamie Collins stepped on his back in a vulnerable spot on the flak jacket Newton was wearing.
The 2011 number one pick was 8-for-12 passing with 88 yards in Saturday’s affair, but missed some key opportunities in his return from offseason ankle surgery.
Rivera hoped to give his quarterback one more game to work on his timing. Instead, Newton will be re-evaluated over the weekend in preparation for the Sept. 7 opener at Tampa Bay.
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