Vikings Vs. Panthers: Cam Newton Was Spectacular, But Panthers Lose Late

Stewart had 278 rushing yards and 210 receiving yards on the season with 2 touchdowns on the ground and zero in the air. Stewart was averaging 40 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving per game. Stewart’s rushing yards were down nearly 15 yards per game from last season.

Stewart was ranked as the 24th ranked running back according to Yahoo! heading into his match up with the Minnesota Vikings.

Anybody considering Ponder for fantasy purposes must be in a deep two-QB league. Otherwise there really isn’t any reason that an unproven rookie should be on your radar. Look for the Vikings to emphasize the running game while Ponder gets his feet wet.

For more on Ponder and his matchup with the Panthers, check out our Vikings blog, Daily Norseman, and our Panthers blog blog, Cat Scratch Reader.

Cam Newton is all over our NFL Week 8 Highlight Videos stream, but it was a play that was called back for holding, which might have been his most visually appealing feat.

Introducing the Cam Flip (Newton Nosedive?).

As it was, the Panthers lost 24-21 and Newton’s three-touchdown effort was for naught.

Newton is the prohibitive favorite to take home rookie-of-the-year honors at season’s end. He’s the biggest reason Panthers fans have to tune in every week despite another ugly start, with over 2,100 yards passing through seven games.

It’s Newton’s running ability that makes him an especially valuable fantasy commodity, however. He has had at least one rushing touchdowns in all but one game this year, which in standard scoring leagues should be worth a couple more points than the passing variety. Newton was ranked No. 2 in Yahoo! Sports’ fantasy quarterback rankings this week, going up against a soft Minnesota secondary.

Peterson had 712 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards on the season with 8 touchdowns on the ground and zero in the air. Peterson was averaging 102 yards rushing and 7 yards receiving per game. Peterson’s rushing yards were up nearly 20 yards per game from last season.

For more on the Vikings head over to our Vikings blog The Daily Norseman. For more information on the Panthers head on over to our Panthers blog Cat Scratch Reader.

Newton also has 119 yards passing and the game is still quite early in the second quarter. On the pass to Olsen, Newton was able to convince the defense that he was looking to Steve Smith on the other side, and then find his tight end behind the coverage. His pass hit Olsen perfectly in stride.

Just to put a perfect little cherry on top of the play, Newton got the ball from Olsen and then gave it to a young fan in the stands. Seriously, is this guy too good to be true?

Smith was able to adjust nicely on a slightly under thrown ball from Cam Newton and was originally ruled to have scored the touchdown. But replays correctly ruled him down at the 1.

For more on the Vikings head over to our Vikings blog The Daily Norseman. For more information on Week 8 in the NFL and fantasy news, follow this StorySteam.

Harvin expects to play, saying it’s just a matter of pain tolerance.

“Without getting into too many details, it’s just basically like (a) hamstring,” Harvin said via Tom Pelissero of 1500ESPN.com. “You can kind of feel it pulling, so it kind of makes me nervous at times. But other than that, it’s just pain tolerance.”

Cam Newton is a veteran in contrast to Ponder. He will make his eighth start of the season Sunday for a Panthers squad that has come miles from last season even if they are still near the bottom of the league. With Newton under center, the Panthers have more touchdowns so far this year (18) than they did all of last season (16). While Newton still has plenty of work to go--he’s tied for second in the league with nine interception this season--he has added a much needed spark to what was a downtrodden club.

Both teams have had their bright spots this year, and are improving steadily. Though they aren’t expected to factor into the playoff picture, there is upside for the rest of the season, setting up what could be a 2012 return to prominence.

Follow the Patriots at Pats Pulpit. For more on the Steelers, head over to Behind the Steel Curtain.

For more on the Chiefs, stop by Arrowhead Pride. To catch up with all things Chargers, go with Bolts from the Blue.

Pete Prisco at CBSSports.com believes that difference is worth a seven point victory for the Panthers, more than covering the three-point spread set by Vegas.

SB Nation’s Andrew Sharp agrees, respectfully.

For more on the Vikings, be sure to check out Daily Norseman. The Carolina Panthers SB Nation blog is Cat Scratch Reader. For all of the Week 8 NFL odds and lines, visit Odds Shark.