The assumption, even by the game's broadcasters, during the Eagles' throttling of the Panthers on Monday Night Football was that Cam Newton was injured to some degree. After all, the quarterback missed the season opener while recovering from offseason foot surgery and looked hobbled in the first five weeks of Carolina's slate, producing just 42 yards and zero touchdowns on 14 carries over that span. So it was very reasonable to think that Newton, who grimaced and limped out of the huddle Monday night and only managed two rushing attempts, had aggravated his foot injury or even suffered a new one.

NBC Sports football analyst Ross Tucker, however, received assurances from Panthers' officials that the 25-year-old signal-caller was totally healthy. In a discussion with ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, Tucker said some trusted people in the organization think Newton's sluggish behavior against the Eagles was mental.

"They insisted to me that there was nothing wrong with him physically," Tucker said. "His lethargic, nonchalant mannerisms and body language last night, that's just him. That's just how he acts at times."

The curious behavior, Tucker says, can be chalked up to Newton's volatile attitude.

"I even had one guy tell me 'When things are really going well, he is so high, so upbeat, so much energy and he's going to make a lot of plays for you. But when things start to go poorly and start to roll the other way, he really struggles at times mentally coming back from that.' No matter how you slice it, that's really concerning, considering the money he wants."