Ok his team didn’t win but Cam Newton certainly made his mark in Fantasy Football leagues with accounting for three touchdowns and throwing for more than 400 yards in his debut Sunday in a 28-21 loss at Arizona.

Newton is quickly making believers of some skeptics. The Carolina Panthers opener was probably one of the two or three most exciting games of the day Sunday. That couldn’t have been said of any week last season.

But being exciting and entertaining won’t in and of itself lead to victories. I, for one, rather have a solid ball control team that goes 9-7 than an exciting and entertaining team that goes 7-9. Maybe I’m old school.

Newton, who set a rookie quarterback mark, certainly looked better than in the preseason when he hit on only 40 percent of his passes. In the first regular season game he was an amazing 24 of 37 for 422 yards. Yes, receivers were getting open but he still had to deliver it, and he did.

“He was everything everybody didn’t expect him to be,” said receiver Steve Smith, who caught eight passes, two of which went for touchdowns. “He was on point, he made some great runs, he made some great reads, made some fantastic throws. He made some throws out there that honestly as a receiver it made it easy to catch them.”

Before the NFL draft, Pro Football Weekly pointed out Newton’s negatives:

“Played in a simplified, run-first, dive-option read offense with very basic high-low reads. Worked exclusively out of the gun and was very quick to run at the first flash of coverage. Limited field vision — does not process the passing game. Inconsistent throwing mechanics with a flick delivery — generates all of his power from his upper-body strength and too often arms the ball. Streaky passer with spotty accuracy. Makes his receivers work hard and throws into coverage. Does not spin a tight spiral. Very disingenuous — has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup. Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them. Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law — does not command respect from teammates and always will struggle to win a locker room. Only a one-year producer. Lacks accountability, focus and trustworthiness — is not punctual, seeks shortcuts and sets a bad example. Immature and has had issues with authority. Not dependable.”

Despite his personal success Sunday, whether it will continue and whether it will translate into victories is still in question.