FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The way Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton hobbled around in Monday night's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, one would think the Atlanta Falcons might be able to take advantage of the situation come Sunday.

Not so fast.

Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan knows what to expect from Newton even if he's not at full speed come Sunday.

"Cam's pretty elite," Nolan said. "I don't know how elite half of Cam is. I would say it's still elite."

Newton, who underwent offseason ankle surgery, apparently is fine, according to Panthers coach Ron Rivera. But there's no real reason for Rivera to reveal any details regarding Newton's health at this point.

"I don't know how hobbled he is or not," Nolan said. "We have to take him at his full strength. He's a big, strong, competitive athlete. That's all we can go off of. I can't go off of where he might be, physically. If it helps us out, great. If you go into it thinking your opponent is going to be lesser than he is, a lot of times, you don't play very well."

Last season in two wins against the Falcons, Newton completed 38 of 64 passes for 398 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions while being sacked twice. He also ran the ball 17 times for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Newton has a pair of capable running backs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who have a combined 456 rushing yards. Newton actually tops the pair with 4.5 yards per carry, and his elusiveness is something the Falcons have to be aware of regardless of his health status. Atlanta allowed Tampa Bay's Josh McCown to escape a few times last Sunday.

Newton's top targets are tight end Greg Olsen and rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who have a combined 12 touchdown receptions.

"Very big; very strong," Nolan said of Benjamin. "He's got good hands. He's a big target (6-5, 240). He and Olsen both are go-to guys. You can see Cam eyeing both, so he's trying to feed them the ball."