It wasn’t the prettiest outing you’ll ever see, but the Panthers got the win they needed against the Buccaneers on Sunday.
They now have a 5-8-1 record and control of first place in the NFC South pending the result of the Saints’ Monday night game in Chicago, a result that looks all the better for coming with Derek Anderson piloting the offense days after Cam Newton suffered a back injury in a car accident.
Newton sustained two transverse process fractures and a similar injury kept Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo out of one game earlier this year, but it will be a little while before coach Ron Rivera makes any decisions about who will start in Week 16.
“I’m not making any decisions until I get the opportunity to watch him on the football field, listen to what the trainers and doctors have to tell me, and then we will make our decision,” Rivera said, via the Associated Press. “But to make any judgment right now would be premature and would be a mistake.”
The Panthers host the Browns next Sunday before wrapping up the season in Atlanta in a game that could wind up being the finale for the entire regular season if the NFC South still hangs in the balance.
