{"id":95919,"date":"2020-10-08T06:46:18","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T10:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=95919"},"modified":"2020-10-08T06:49:25","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T10:49:25","slug":"new-england-patriots-week-5-starter-brian-hoyer-jarrett-stidham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/10\/08\/new-england-patriots-week-5-starter-brian-hoyer-jarrett-stidham\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Week 5 Starter: Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/a> have to make a difficult decision heading into Week 5\u2019s matchup against the Denver Broncos. Cam Newton<\/a><\/strong> remains on the COVID-19 list, and is a longshot to be cleared in time for Sunday\u2019s match. This leaves the Patriots choosing between the underwhelming duo of Brian Hoyer<\/a><\/strong> and Jarrett Stidham<\/a><\/strong> at quarterback. Hoyer earned the start last week, but Stidham took over after a highly ineffective half of football. Has Stidham done enough to earn the start, or should the team go back to the experienced veteran?<\/p>\n

Brain Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham For New England Patriots?<\/h2>\n

The Case For Brian Hoyer<\/h3>\n

The Denver Broncos are a bad team, and the Patriots probably won\u2019t have to score too many points to win this matchup. Because of this, they might be able to get by with a quarterback that doesn\u2019t make too many great plays, but doesn\u2019t make too many bad ones either. If they\u2019re looking for the safer option, Brian Hoyer is probably the right choice.<\/p>\n

Hoyer was a disaster last week, and made several bone-headed decisions that actively ruined New England\u2019s chances of victory. On two separate occasions, Hoyer stalled drives on the red zone and actively took points off the board. At the end of the second quarter, Hoyer took a sack and let time expire. Midway through the third, Hoyer fumbled near the goal line while demonstrating an astonishing lack of pocket presence.<\/p>\n

These mistakes were bad, but we have enough of a sample to know that Hoyer is normally better than this. While he\u2019s certainly not a good quarterback, he\u2019s usually not prone to those types of mistakes. Most of the time, he\u2019s capable of picking up exactly what the scheme provides, and that might be enough for a Week 5 win.<\/p>\n

The Case For Jarrett Stidham<\/h3>\n

While Hoyer is the safer option, Stidham has a wider variety of outcomes. The former fourth-round pick had an up-and-down showing in Week 4, but played better than his overall stats would suggest. Stidham had probably the best throw of any Patriots quarterback last week when he found N\u2019Keal Harry<\/strong><\/a> on a perfect touch pass in the corner of the endzone. Additionally, he demonstrated the ability to use his legs to buy time in the pocket, a skill that Hoyer simply doesn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

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Stidham’s first NFL touchdown was a great throw to the back corner of the endzone. Props to Harry for beating his man off the line and getting right to the spot. pic.twitter.com\/BYNXc2GO82<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dave Latham, Lifelong Bucs Fan (@DLPatsThoughts) October 6, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n