Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers travel to Arizona on Sunday to take on the Cardinals in the 2011 season opener. This will of course be Cam Newton’s first start in a regular season game as the Panthers quarterback.

Look for the Panthers to try to establish the running game against the Cardinals to take as much pressure off of Cam Newton as they can. What I like about the new offense is their emphasis on the tight end. Rookie quarterbacks tend to like tight ends anyway as they are a good safety outlet. With Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey, Cam Newton has some good targets.

I don’t expect Cam Newton to throw a lot of passes in his NFL debut against Arizona, unless the Panthers get behind. The Panthers will want Newton to take it easy and build up his confidence.

One thing to look for is Steve Smith on broken plays. Cam Newton throws well on the run and if he takes off but throws, Smith could be the target. Steve Smith is excellent at freelancing and getting open when a play breaks down. And Newton seems more inclined to throw when possible instead of just taking off on a run.

One bit of good news for Panthers fans is that Jon Beason is expected to play against the Arizona Cardinals. It was thought Beason may miss some regular season games after having foot surgery recently, but he is a fast healer.

Beason, James Anderson and Thomas Davis make up one of the best linebacking units in the NFL. I expect them to make some big plays in the Arizona game if the defensive line can keep the guards off of them.

The big news for the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason was the acquisition of quarterback Kevin Kolb from the Eagles. Kolb was the heir apparent to Donovan McNabb at one point before being beaten out by Michael Vick.

I am not sold on Kevin Kolb but having Larry Fitzgerald on your team can make any quarterback look good. The Cardinals were thin at running back but recently added former Bear and Viking Chester Taylor to back up Beanie Wells.

The Cardinals defense is maybe a tad underrated and has to be improved with the addition of rookie Patrick Peterson who will solidify the secondary. Former Carolina Panther Richard Marshall looks to be in the nickel defense against his old team.

Another former Carolina Panther turned Arizona Cardinal is tight end Jeff King an excellent blocker. King will be backing up long time Baltimore Raven Todd Heap. King may be important as the Cardinals will try to run the ball against Carolina to set up the pass.

If the Cardinals are successful in their running the ball then Kolb and Fitzgerald could have a big day. Chris Gamble will be locked up on Fitzgerald and often in single coverage when the Panthers blitz.To sum up my breakdown of the Panthers at the Cardinals game, I expect it to be a close one. With Carolina’s running game and if Cam continues to not turn the ball over, I don’t see Arizona running away with it. If you want to chime in about Cam Newton’s first NFL start then please leave a comment below.