Panthers' Kyle Allen lights up Cardinals in place of Cam Newton

It’s one game. Just one game, that’s all. But it was a game that gave Carolina Panthers fans something they haven’t had in quite some time: hope.

Starting in place of the injured Cam Newton, Kyle Allen — who played high school ball in nearby Scottsdale — torched the Arizona Cardinals in a 38-20 win. Allen threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions.

The highlight: a 52-yarder to D.J. Moore just before halftime that put Carolina ahead 14-10, a lead the Panthers never relinquished.

Coming into this game, Allen had played a grand total of two games in his NFL career, both last season for Carolina. His career totals: 266 yards, two touchdowns, both of which he topped Sunday.

Newton is as durable as they come — this was only the sixth game he has missed to injury since 2011, despite the fact that he gets hammered every single game — but even he has his limits. The question now is whether he’ll be ready for next week’s game on the road against Houston. If he’s not, Allen will be ready. And if Allen puts up another strong road game, conversation’s going to get very interesting around Charlotte.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

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