After the Panthers lost to the Patriots Friday night, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera told the media that he intended to play his starters against the Steelers on Thursday.

“To me it is very evident we’ve got to get (the starters) out there. We’ve got to get our quarterback out there on the field, and he’s got to get some timing with those guys,” Rivera said via the Charlotte Observer. “He missed a couple throws, we had some guys that were open he overthrew, and we’ve just got to continue to work with him. The more snaps he gets, the better.”

Regardless of Rivera’s plan, Newton won’t be facing the Steelers on Thursday now, as it was determined that he has a hairline fracture in his rib.

https://twitter.com/Panthers/status/503644900920135681

With the poor showing by the Steelers first teamers against the Eagles, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad idea to give them some additional reps during the preseason finale, though, if history is any indicator, the starters will be wearing shorts and t-shirts on the sidelines.