Severe foot injury may have Newton sidelined for weeks, report says

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Panthers quarterback Cam Newton might not be back on the field anytime soon.

Newton has missed two games after suffering a mid-foot sprain in Week 3 of the preseason against the New England Patriots and aggravating the injury in a Week 2 loss to the Buccaneers.

[RELATED: Fresh off win, Allen to start against Houston as Newton rests injured foot]

Joe Person with the Athletic reported that Newton's sprain is actually a Lisfranc injury, which happens when a bone breaks in the mid-foot or ligaments tear, causing joint instability.

Channel 9 learned the injury is not common in football and is usually caused by players stepping on each other's feet.

Person said there are some discrepancies about the severity of Newton's injury, but the Panthers hope it will not require surgery so that Newton can return after a few weeks of rest.

"Even if it is on the kind of mild side of the Lisfranc spectrum if you will, that's still kind of like a minimum, generally speaking of four weeks," Person told Channel 9. "I think the best scenario, the best time table for him would be to hold Cam out until after the bye week."

The report comes a day after head coach Ron Rivera announced the quarterback would sit out in the team's Week 4 matchup against the Texans.

[READ MORE: Backup QB Kyle Allen throws 4 TDs, Panthers beat Cardinals 38-20]

The Panthers are turning to backup quarterback Kyle Allen to step up in Newton's absence and Rivera said he's confident in Allen's abilities.

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