Newton improving as Panthers prep for Eagles

Smoke forces Raiders to shift practice schedule

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is on a mini-tear entering tonight’s showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, completing 77.4 percent of his passes over the last two games for 671 yards with six touchdowns. That’s well above Newton’s career completion percentage of 58.9 percent and last season’s career low of 52.9 percent.

Newton’s newfound accuracy has the Panthers (4-1) tied for the best record in the NFC with the Eagles and Packers. Suddenly, questions about Newton’s ability to recover from shoulder surgery have turned to questions about competing for league MVP honors again.

Newton shrugged his shoulders and offered no explanation for his careerhigh completion percentage this year.

But clearly one of the reasons is the addition of running back Christian McCaffrey, who has given the seventhyear QB a valuable check-down option on passes. The rookie from Stanford leads the Panthers with 27 receptions.

“He’s an exceptional football player who has found his role on this team and is trying to find ways to expand his role,” Newton said of McCaffrey. “A guy like that, he’s so easy to throw to.”

The Panthers are throwing more short and intermediate routes than in the past, designed in part to compensate for Newton coming off rotator cuff surgery. He missed most of training camp and the Panthers didn’t want to rush him back by asking him to throw a bunch of deep balls.

Newton’s arm strength is improving and he’s showing no signs of soreness, although coach Ron Rivera still limits his reps in practice.

“There’s certain throws that he’s making again. That’s a huge plus,” Rivera said. “I think last week was indicative of that. I think as he gets stronger and stronger, we can do some more things we want to do.”

RAIDERS:

Oakland had to adjust its practice schedule because of poor air quality resulting from the wildfires in the nearby wine country.

The Raiders took the practice field Wednesday in smoky conditions with even some ash falling from the sky. The Environmental Protection Agency said the air was “unhealthy” in Alameda, about 40 miles from the fires.

GIANTS:

The Giants suspended cornerback Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie. Coach Ben McAdoo said he had a meeting with the 31-year-old veteran on Tuesday night and Rodgers-Cromartie left the team Wednesday.

LIONS:

Detroit put defensive tackle Haloti Ngata on injured reserve with an elbow injury.

COWBOYS:

Dallas released cornerback Nolan Carroll, a significant 2017 free agent acquisition. Carroll left a loss at Denver in Week 2 with a concussion and didn’t play again before Wednesday’s move.