Big news for the Buccaneers, as a big obstacle to Monday Night’s victory has been removed.
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The Buccaneers need a win in the worst way on Monday night. At 1-3, playoff hopes can fall by the wayside quickly. The stakes are pretty high in this NFC South primetime matchup against Carolina.
However, the matchup may have gotten just a bit easier.
Per Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com, Cam Newton will not play in the game, ruled out by Panthers’ coach Ron Rivera. Newton remains in concussion protocol, rendering him inactive, and leaving Derek Anderson the starter in his place.
Anderson has had an up and down career, peaking with a Pro Bowl season back in 2007, teamed up with Braylon Edwards while with the Cleveland Browns. That year, he posted a 10-5 record as the Browns’ starter and threw 29 touchdown passes.
Overall, his career record is 20-25 and he has completed just 54% of his passes. However, he has played well against the Bucs. He has started against them seven times, winning five of those games. He subbed for Cam in both matchups in 2014, winning both games. Anderson was sharp, completing 49-74 passes (66%) for three touchdowns and no interceptions. He won’t be a cakewalk on Monday night.
It does mean, however, that the Bucs won’t have to deal with the mobility factor. Anderson is in no way the runner that Cam is. If the pass rush can get going, they won’t have to deal with a mobile quarterback breaking contain. The game won’t be “easy”, but it may have gotten a bit easier with this news.
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