Teddy Bridgewater Favored to Throw More TDs than Cam Newton
Teddy Bridgewater has already begun to win over his new fan base in the Carolinas. From his 74-mile bike rides, to calling out fans on Twitter, Teddy already impressed without even stepping foot in a team facility since signing.
Despite starting just six games since 2015, there seems to be a cloud of optimism surrounding Bridgewater. From several national media members to numerous players, coaches, and team personnel in the Panthers’ organization, people remain assured that “Teddy two gloves” is the man for the job.
Unfortunately, he will inevitably be compared to the man he is replacing in Carolina, Cam Newton - former MVP, All-Pro, and leading the team to a 15-1 record en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
Despite the mixed opinions on Newton’s successor, oddsmakers are putting their money on Bridgewater to outperform Newton in 2020.
According to Oddchecker.com, Teddy Bridgewater has better odds to throw more touchdown passes this year than Cam Newton does with the New England Patriots.
“Newton is again the underdog in this one, but the odds are much closer. The former NFL MVP is +110 to throw more passing TDs, while Bridgewater is -134. Newton’s odds imply a 47.6% chance of winning and Bridgewater’s give him a 57.3% chance.”
Some may be initially surprised by this but when you break down each quarterback’s current situation, it starts to make more sense.
While everyone wants Cam to be healthy and back to his Pro Bowl-caliber self, the status of his health is still uncertain along with the fact that no one even knows if he will certainly be New England’s starter under center come week one - we all assume so if he is healthy.
When you compare the weapons that each signal-caller has at its disposal, you come to an unquestionable conclusion that Bridgewater is in a much better situation. The Panthers have arguably the NFL’s most versatile offensive weapon in Christian McCaffrey, a deep threat in Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore - who is coming off of an 87 catch, 1,175 yard season in 2019 - along with the young Curtis Samuel.
Carolina lost eight of their 11 starters on defense from 2019 so expect the Panthers to be playing from behind more often than Cam and the New England Patriots, which ultimately works in Bridgewater’s favor. Teddy will be airing the ball out more frequently trying to recapture leads while Cam and the Pats’ run-heavy offense will be slowing the pace, protecting their lead in the second half.
The Patriots are clearly in a better situation than Carolina competitively, nevertheless, New England has the league’s most difficult schedule in 2020. Additionally, the Pats have one of the NFL’s weakest receiving corps as we saw Tom Brady struggle to find receivers who could create separation downfield in 2019. This season may not look much better for Newton. Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked the Pats as having the third-worst receiving corps heading into 2020 compared to the Panthers with the eighth-best.
A 34-year-old Julian Edelman is still a reliable slot option in the short and intermediate-range but Mohamed Sanu contributed very little after New England acquired him last season so the team’s top-end options are quite limited. This does not even include N’Keal Harry who had a disappointing rookie campaign plagued by injury.
Josh McDaniels and the Patriots’ offense looks to continue their run-heavy ways but adding a healthy Cam Newton could spice things up in Foxboro.
Teddy Bridgewater has already formed a bond with Carolina’s new offensive coordinator Joe Brady from their together in New Orleans. Bridgewater is hungry to secure a starting job once again in the NFL and silence all of his critics and the ones who said he would never return after his potential career-ending knee injury in 2016.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and discuss it with fellow Panther fans!
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook - @PanthersOnSI
Twitter - @SI_Panthers and Jack Duffy at @JackDuffySI
