Cam Newton suffered a hairline fracture to a rib during Friday night's loss at the New England Patriots and will not play in Thursday's preseason finale for the Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh.
Ron Rivera is optimistic Newton, who missed most of the offseason recovering from surgery on his left ankle, will be ready to play in the Sept. 7 opener at Tampa Bay.
"I do [expect him to be ready], but a lot of it is he had to get past the soreness, which we expect, and we'll see how he starts to progress," Rivera said after Sunday's practice.
Newton was in a great deal of pain when he arrived at the stadium on Sunday. He was sent him for an MRI and CAT scan.