FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons are no strangers to Cam Newton.
From 2011-19, the Panthers quarterback faced the Falcons 15 times. A former Westlake High and Auburn star, Newton is back with the Panthers for a second stint and will play the Falcons again at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
When the Falcons played the Panthers earlier this season, Sam Darnold was the quarterback as the Panthers won 19-13 on Oct. 31. After Darnold suffered an injury, the Panthers signed Newton, who was out of the NFL, on Nov. 12. Newton played last season with the Patriots before he was released in training camp this year.
Newton brings the threat of running the football and extending plays, something of which the Falcons are all to familiar. He has rushed for 65 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries this season. Seven of those runs resulted in first downs.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith knows the threat of Newton’s running ability.
“He’s a big physical player,” Smith said of Newton, who has a 6-9 record against the Falcons. “He has a big arm. He won the MVP in this league. He’s had success. If they get a lead on you, they can grind it out and make it a problem.”
Grinding it out is exactly what the Panthers did in their previous win against the Falcons. They ran the ball 47 times for 203 yards.
Newton has started two games, but was benched in the Panthers’ 33-10 loss to Miami on Nov. 28. In that game, Newton finished 5-of-21 passing for 92 yards while throwing two interceptions. He also rushed for five yards on three carries.
Complicating matters for the Panthers, coming off a bye, is the fact that they fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady on Sunday.
Falcons safety Duron Harmon is aware of Newton’s running ability, especially in short-yardage and red-zone situations.
“We all know Cam has been a productive player in the red area just because of his legs,” Harmon said. “He’s big, and he’s strong. We know one of the easiest ways for them to score in the red (zone) is just to give Cam the ball and let him plow forward and try to run through arm tackles. That’s going to be a challenge for us.”
Linebacker Steven Means understands Newton’s strength of running with the football.
“He looked like Cam,” Means said. “Cam looks like Cam always. I’m happy for him. I’m happy he’s back at it. (I’m) looking forward to seeing him up close.’’
In games against the Falcons, Newton has thrown 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also has 108 rushes for 763 yards and seven touchdowns. His best rushing game against the Falcons came when he broke loose for 116 yards on nine carries in a 30-20 win Dec. 9, 2012.
The Falcons’ defense is ranked 25th in total defense (367.1 yards per game) while allowing 119.3 rushing yards per game (22nd).
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