Ron Rivera would have 'taken a shot' at Cam Newton if he were the Falcons LB

The Carolina Panthers suffered their third loss of the season Sunday, and, more important, may have lost their quarterback for the upcoming week in the process.

Cam Newton suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter on a two-point conversion attempt, when he was hit in the head area by Falcons linebacker Deion Jones. Newton casually strolled into the end zone to successfully convert the two-point try, but it came at a price.

The hit wasn’t flagged by the officials and was deemed legal despite the fact Newton was injured on the play. It’s unknown how long he’ll be out as he’s currently in the league’s concussion protocol, but his status for Sunday’s game against the Bucs is certainly in question.

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera didn’t have an update on Newton on Monday, but he did expand on the play when the injury occurred. To Rivera, Jones didn’t do anything wrong.

Rivera continued by making this statement:

“It’s a judgment call, but If I was playing, I would have taken a shot.”

Rivera obviously would prefer to have his quarterback healthy and out of harm’s way, but he understands the physical nature of Newton’s game. The offensive line can absolutely do a better job of protecting him, but there’s only so much it can do when he takes off down the field.

Newton hasn’t played well up to this point and is a long way from his MVP-caliber numbers from a year ago. Add in this concussion and the Panthers’ season is quickly getting away from them. At 1-3, Carolina needs to turn it around quickly, even if Newton is unable to go in Week 5.