{"id":98523,"date":"2020-11-24T05:48:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T10:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=98523"},"modified":"2020-11-24T05:52:36","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T10:52:36","slug":"new-england-patriots-commit-cam-newton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/11\/24\/new-england-patriots-commit-cam-newton\/","title":{"rendered":"New England Patriots Should Commit to Cam Newton"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the first time in 20 years, the New England Patriots<\/a> are not a good football team. After 11 weeks of action, the team owns a pedestrian 4-6 record and sits behind the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins in the race for the AFC East. Because of this, some are wondering if first-year Patriot Cam Newton<\/a><\/strong> should be the long-term answer under center. While Newton might not be as good as peak Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong>, he\u2019s the best option the team is likely to find and should remain in New England for at least the next few seasons.<\/p>\n

Why the New England Patriots Should Commit to Cam Newton<\/h2>\n

The odds were stacked against Cam Newton heading into the season. Transitioning to a new team is never easy, and that transition was made all the harder with the COVID-shortened offseason. Combine this with the fact that New England had arguably the worst supporting cast in the league, and it was going to be hard for Newton to perform well right out of the gate.<\/p>\n

However, despite the unfavorable circumstances, New England\u2019s offense was actually pretty solid early in the season. Over the first three games, the Patriots ranked 11th<\/sup> in EPA\/dropback, despite the underwhelming performances of N\u2019Keal Harry<\/strong><\/a> and Julian Edelman<\/a><\/strong>. The Patriots ranked dead last in EPA\/dropback over the next three weeks, but it\u2019s hard to blame that on Newton. The quarterback contracted COVID-19, forcing Brian Hoyer<\/a><\/strong> to start Week 4. Newton returned to the field in Week 6 but did so after missing two weeks of practice. He had a bad game, but struggling in that situation is understandable.<\/p>\n

Since Week 8, New England\u2019s passing attack has been among the best in the league. Paired with the emergence of Jakobi Meyers<\/a><\/strong>, Newton had quietly led the Patriots to the fifth-best passing attack in the league over this timeframe, by EPA\/play.<\/p>\n

This success is due almost entirely to Newton. Meyers is a nice player and Damiere Byrd<\/a><\/strong> is a solid depth receiver, but these guys aren\u2019t capable of carrying a bad quarterback. Newton has played some great football of late and should only improve as he gets more comfortable in this offense. \u00a0Pro Football Focus agrees that he\u2019s elevated his game, as Newton is the QB4 in their grading over the past month. For the season, he’s the QB13.<\/p>\n

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Cam Newton since getting benched vs 49ers:<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd39 85.5 Passing Grade – 4th among QBs
\ud83d\udd394 Rushing TDs – 2nd among all players pic.twitter.com\/bMrBqv3mnp<\/a><\/p>\n

— PFF NE Patriots (@PFF_Patriots) November 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n