For the third time this season, Cam Newton was on the bench while the Patriots ended a contest. The quarterback was sent to the sideline in place of Jarrett Stidham in the third quarter of New England’s 38-9 loss to Buffalo Bills on Monday night. Before the bench, Newton once again struggled to throw the ball while the Patriots only made 34 yards in the air while the quarterback completed 50% of his shots. He was able to find the end zone with his feet, but the lack of an air attack was what put a fork in Pats in Week 16 and ended up being his downfall this season.
Despite Newton’s problems having passed, Bill Belichick supported him firmly and essentially never wavered over his initial status. Although nothing is official yet, it looks like this will remain true until the end of the regular season against the New York Jets. During his appearance on Tuesday at WEEI’s Ordway, Merloni & Fauria, the head coach was asked whether Newton would be the starter, as the Patriots closes the year in Week 17.
“I guess, but look, we’re going through this now,” he said, via WEEI.com. “We’ll see.”
The defeat on Monday and the offensive struggles for the year as a whole did not fall entirely on Newton’s shoulders, but there was a case to see if the attack looks different with Stidham as the starter. With Newton on a one-year contract and Stidham on a fourth round draft pick in 2019, one would think it would fit New England prospects in the future, while looking for a long-term response in the position to give Stidham a vision. holder for the first time since he arrived at Foxborough.
This, however, did not happen at this point and may not happen in 2020. When the idea was launched that the Patriots could not discover anything new about Stidham starting against the Jets, Belichick said: “I think there would be a little bit of true to that. “
He later commented: “At some point he will have an opportunity to play with a good opportunity to prepare and play, and that will be a better assessment. Whatever the point, I don’t know.”
This defeat to Buffalo put the Patriots 6-9 at the arrival of Week 17 and guarantees their first losing season since 2000. Although it was not at all beautiful, all indications point to Belichick sinking with the ship with Newton as his QB1 .