Week 1 could get more interesting for Rams if Cam Newton unable to play

After Cam Newton suffered an ankle injury on Thursday, Week 1 could get a little more interesting for the Los Angeles Rams when facing the Carolina Panthers.

Even though the Los Angeles Rams didn’t play on Thursday, as the team continues to prepare for Saturday’s preseason game against the Denver Broncos, the team could still be impacted for Week 1 with the recent injury to Cam Newton.

Over the last couple of months, Newton’s status for Week 1 against the Rams has been up in the air since the Carolina Panthers quarterback has been recovering from shoulder injury, but it looks like the situation just became a little more complicated.

During Thursday’s game against Carolina, Newton was forced to leave due to an ankle injury, and while early indications point to it only being a sprain, the timing of the injury is awful for the Panthers.

Two weeks from now, Carolina will kick off the 2019 season at home against Los Angeles, and with all due respect to the backup quarterbacks of the Panthers, the chances of them defeating the Rams without Newton seems highly unlikely.

Los Angeles already seemed to have a slight advantage due to Newton’s recovery process in case he looked a little rusty in September while getting used to playing again.

But if this ankle injury results in Newton watching from the sidelines, well it just gives the Rams even more of an advantage for the contest.

The good news for the Panthers is with a little over two weeks until that first Sunday is officially underway, Newton has plenty of time to recover, and prepare for the Rams if he is in fact able to suit up.

Knowing the Rams, Sean McVay and company are still going to spend the next two weeks preparing as if Newton will be the one under center since it’s no secret the quarterback is going to do everything in his power to make sure he’s out on the field.

Los Angeles may be the early favorites to win on the road in Carolina once Week 1 arrives, but also they’re smart enough to know this game will be far from a guarantee if Newton is healthy enough to play.

Until then, all the Rams can do is continue to monitor Newton’s status over these next two weeks to make sure they’re prepared for whatever the Panthers throw their way on Sept. 8.