The best place to see what Robert Griffin III looks like in a year could come Thursday when Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers host the New York Giants in their first prime-time home game in three years (NFL Network, 8:20 p.m.).
Aside from carrying the expectations heaped on Heisman Trophy winners, Griffin and Newton aren’t exactly similar. To go with his added experience over the 6-foot-2, 217-pound Griffin III, Newton is also taller (by three inches) and heavier (by 30 pounds). The power and size helped the reigning NFL rookie of the year run for a career-high 71 yards in last week’s 35-27 win over New Orleans — that’s something both he and Griffin also now have in common.
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Both players can still aspire to match two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning, who overcame three first-half interceptions to pile up a career-best 510 passing yards in the Giants’ 41-34 win over Tampa Bay. How big will the contrast be at Bank of America Stadium? While Newton has 18 rushes in two games — Griffin has 20 — Manning has tucked the ball to run just three times.
– Craig Stouffer
