Usually, it's only once over the course of an NFL career does a quarterback get an opportunity to prove he can be "the guy," the franchise quarterback 32 teams desperately seek, the main ingredient toward an organization hoisting a Vince Lombardi Trophy in February. This isn't a PSA for Kyle Allen to become the franchise quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, but he now has a golden opportunity to prove to the organization he can be the starting quarterback of this franchise for years to come. 

Cam Newton, the Panther's current franchise quarterback, is out for the season after being placed on injured reserve due to his LisFranc injury not healing in time for a return this season. Newton could return for the playoffs, but if the Panthers make the postseason, it's because of Allen -- meaning Newton won't be returning to the field as the starting quarterback. 

Winning will certainly help Allen's case to be the Panthers' signal-caller in 2020, but there's going to be more then just a few wins to determine if Carolina will part ways with Newton and his $21.1 million salary in 2020 in favor of Allen, a former undrafted free agent the team signed in 2018. Allen hasn't been great as the Panthers starting quarterback (60.7%, 1,291 yards, 9 TD, 4 INT, 87.8 rating in six tarts), but the Panthers are 5-1 and rebounded from an 0-2 start to the year (which Newton played a huge role in) since Allen replaced him as a starting quarterback. 

How does Allen rank compared to the other quarterbacks in the NFL? Allen is 29th in the league in completion percentage, 18th in touchdown percentage (4.7), 18th in interception percentage (2.1), 26th in yards per attempt (6.8), 24th in adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (6.8), 23rd in quarterback rating, and 30th in net yards gained per pass attempt (5.53). The Panthers' quarterback is ranked in the bottom half in the league in all these categories, but is also only making $495,000 this season and has just seven NFL starts under his belt. 

If you take away a three-interception game where he was sacked seven times against the NFL's top-ranked defense in the San Francisco 49ers, Allen has completed 63 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns to one interception and a 102.0 passer rating. Allen would rank in the top-10 in touchdown percentage, top three in interception percentage, and just outside of the top-15 in yards per attempt. 

This is what makes the Allen situation tough for the Panthers to evaluate. He is 2-0 against teams that had a .500 record when facing them, 2-0 against teams with an under .500 record, and 1-1 against teams over .500 this season. The Panthers have played four teams that currently have a losing record in six of Allen's starts, so the schedule hasn't been daunting. 

Allen will get a test over the next few weeks as the Panthers have road games against the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. The Panthers close out the season against three teams with a winning record: Seattle Seahawks (home), Indianapolis Colts (road) and Saints (home). During this stretch, the Panthers will only play two teams that rank in the top-15 in scoring defense (Saints 10th, Packers 11th), even though their schedule is harder in the back half of the year. These games could determine his future with the franchise.

Allen is essentially a game manager at this point, not making the mistakes young quarterbacks make -- and he deserves credit for that. The Panthers have built their offense around running back Christian McCaffrey, who is having an MVP-type season with 1,244 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns in eight games. The Panthers know Allen can manage a game, but can he stretch the field and take the pressure off McCaffrey when teams will be lining up an extra defender in the box, forcing Allen to beat them downfield with his arm? If they want to take that next step as a franchise, they will need a quarterback who can do so -- especially in the postseason.

That's what the Panthers will find out the next eight games. A playoff berth should be enough to give Carolina the keys to Allen for one more year. Then the franchise quarterback tryout will commence.