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After suffering a concussion against the Falcons on Sunday, there's a chance that Cam Newton won't be ready to play this week.

The Panthers quarterback was placed in concussion protocol after getting rocked by Atlanta's Deion Jones on a two-point conversion during the fourth quarter of the Falcons' 48-33 win.

Newton was immediately taken to the Panthers' locker room after the play, and right now, it's not clear if he'll be healthy enough to play when the Panthers host the Buccaneers in Week 5.

During a press conference on Monday, Panthers coach Ron Rivera was non-committal when asked if Newton would be available for the Tampa Bay game.

"I have no idea," Rivera said, via ESPN.com. "It really is tough to answer the question. It's hard. I don't want to say something that would go against what the trainers are saying, or the doctors for that matter."

Although the Panthers weren't happy with the beating that Newton took against the Broncos in Week 1, Rivera had no issue with the hit that Jones gave to Newton on Sunday.

"As a defensive player, you see the guy coming to the goal line, if in your estimation he hasn't crossed it, you're going to pull the trigger," Rivera said. "I think that's what the young man did."

The Panthers quarterback met with doctors on Monday, but Rivera didn't have an update on how that meeting went. According to Rivera, the last time he spoke to Newton was on Sunday night.

"I did talk to him after the game -- 'How are you doing?'" Rivera said. "He was, 'I'm fine, I'm fine.' That was it. He was with his family at that point."

The Panthers are highly familiar with the process that goes into getting a player cleared after he's entered concussion protocol. Linebacker Luke Kuechly missed three games last season after suffering a concussion in the Panthers' season opener.

The good news for the Panthers is that they don't play until Monday night, which will give Newton an extra day to heal.

If Newton can't go against the Buccaneers, that means the Panthers will have to start Derek Anderson. The Panthers' backup hasn't started a game since 2014. However, coincidentally enough, both Anderson's starts in 2014 came against the same team the Panthers are playing this week: the Bucs.

Anderson went 2-0 against Tampa that year.

During his time against the Falcons on Sunday, Anderson went 17 of 23 for 172 yards and two touchdowns, along with two interceptions.