Carolina Panthers rule QB Cam Newton out vs. Houston Texans

Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will miss the team's Week 4 matchup against the Houston Texans due to his foot injury.

The team announced Monday that Newton will miss a second consecutive game in an effort to let the quarterback's foot heal. Backup signal-caller Kyle Allen will start at quarterback Sunday in Houston.

"What Cam needs right now is time and rest for his foot," Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. "We want him at 100 percent when he's ready, so there's no exact timetable for his return. At this point, we're going to go forward with Kyle [Allen] as our starter."

Allen, who also filled in for Newton during Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals, completed 19-of-26 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns. He has a 2-0 career record as a starter in the NFL.

Rivera declined to offer a timetable for Newton's injury, saying he was staying out of the medical side of things. It's unclear if Newton's injury could require surgery.

"There really is no timetable, so we'll see what happens," Rivera told reporters. "Kyle's performance was what we needed. What it does is it energizes us at a time [when] we needed a little bit of energy."

Newton initially injured his foot during the preseason and it appeared to impact his play during the Panthers' first two games of the season. He completed only 56 percent of his passes with no touchdowns and one interception, as Carolina fell to a 0-2 record.

After traveling to Houston, the Panthers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars before a meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London.