3 Takeaways from Week Three of Preseason

The Obvious One...Cam Newton's foot injury

All fans held their breath when Cam Newton went down on a 3rd down sack from Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy. However, he was fine; He got up easily and walked to the sidelines for the kickoff. Unfortunately, Cam didn't leave his next sack unscathed. Trying to keep the play alive, he was juking out defenders but finally got tackled behind the line. Newton was seen clutching his leg when down, and later limping off the field.

During the press conference, Rivera revealed that Cam was leaving the stadium in a boot, a precautionary measure for sweling of his foot. It was said that Newton would have additional tests the next day.

Update: The results are in. Cam Newton has been diagnosed with a mild sprain on his left foot. Word from Marty Hurney was the "Panthers are being cautiously optimistic" with Cam Newton's status for Week 1.

Spider-Burns Sling-tastic Performance

One bright spot on the team was the speedy rookie Brian Burns who recorded 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble last night. You've got to be euphoric about the full potential of him added to our defense. On the pace he's setting (two sacks every other game), at the end of the regular season, he would have gotten 16 sacks, a number only mentioned by a veteran's name.

Burns and Marquis Haynes are just some of the young players with loaded potential on this Panthers defense. Someone who was endorsed by no other than Luke Kuechly himself: Antwione Williams.

Antwione Williams

In the 3rd quarter, Antwione Williams has a huge getoff, and no blockers. He's able to blow past the offensive line and bring Jarrett Stidham to the ground.

Pro Bowler Luke Kuechly complimented him a while back saying, "Antwione Williams that looks like he's gonna be a stud too." That's high praise to get from the best linebacker in the National Football League. On the night, Williams collected a team leading 6 tackles and a sack.

Overall, this wasn't a great performance by the Panthers in their second straight loss in the preseason. The backups didn't play that well for second-stringers, and then there's Cam's injury to worry about. Let me know what you think in the comment section below!