Cam Newton reveals his dark horse contender for Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas - "Nobody is talking about them"
Cam Newton has a shocking Super Bowl prediction, now that the 2023 NFL season's final third is well underway. The former Carolina Panthers quarterback recently went to his podcast '4th & 1' to discuss which team(s) he believed would reach Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. He said (from 36:57):
"With all those teams, its easy to look at 49ers, Philly and the Cowboys. My dark horse, whom I've been thoroughly pleased at this year and all year, has been the Detroit Lions. They've had road wins - big road wins, team wins, all type of dominant play all year. Nobody's talking about (them). Jared Goff, in some way, shape, (and/or) form, should be mentioned in the MVP rankings, because he's doing his job. When you have Amon-Ra St. Brown and just the elite game managing ability of Jared Goff, thats going to be a hard team to beat."
The Lions are in a good position to fulfill Newton's prediction; currently primed for their first NFC North title since the days of legendary running back Barry Sanders. Both Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown are enjoying strong seasons, while rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has set and broken multiple league and franchise records.
Those three have also greatly benefited from a stout offensive line that features three Pro Bowlers: tackle Penei Sewell, guard Jonah Jackson, and center Frank Ragnow. Under them, running backs David Montogomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have also thrived, each rushing for at least 600 yards.
Cam Newton nominates former teammate for 2023-24 NFL MVP
In the same episode, Cam Newton was also asked who the 2023-24 MVP would be. He went with his former Carolina Panthers teammate, Christian McCaffrey.
The two-time Pro Bowl running back, who is now with the San Francisco 49ers, has established himself as one of the most potent scorers in the NFL, recently tying with Hall of Famer Lenny Moore for most consecutive games with at least one touchdown. And that has left the 2015 MVP very impressed.
Newton compared McCaffrey to certain top quarterbacks when stating his case (starts at 40:03):
"Do you remove Jalen Hurts from the Eagles? I still think they're able to win games. Patrick Mahomes? (The Chiefs) can still win games (with) a manager at QB. Baltimore? They've been able to win without Lamar. Cowboys - can they win without Dak? (Yeah.)
"All those teams (Eagles, Chiefs, etc.) do not have one player that completes them - except one team: the 49ers. There is not a single in all of football that means more to his team than Christian McCaffrey. My favorite to win the MVP is Christian McCaffrey."
He also dismissed the case for giving Brock Purdy the award, claiming that the 49ers were not winning because of their quarterback.