The Panthers' offense took the field Sunday night for its opening drive against the Seahawks without the reigning NFL MVP.
Derek Anderson was under center to start the game for the Panthers instead of Cam Newton. As if that wasn't strange enough, Anderson's pass to Mike Tolbert on the first play from scrimmage bounced off the fullback's hands, resulting in an interception deep in Carolina territory. The turnover led to a Seahawks' field goal.
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There was no prior explanation for why Newton would not be starting, but reports on the reasoning behind the benching began to trickle out after the first drive.