Cam Newton Just Sparked Bill Belichick’s New Reason for Optimism
New England Patriots have worked valiantly toward separating Cam Newton from being pigeon-holed into the conversation of replacing Tom Brady. It’s been a situation that he’s embraced his new surroundings while making some promising progress in his first campaign in New England. All that has created a new sense of optimism around the team that Bill Belichick didn’t previously experience before Newton’s arrival.
Cam Newton is getting comfort in New England
Following Cam Newton joining the Patriots, there were questions around how he would fit with the franchise.
The team underwent a drastic change in the offseason after Tom Brady left in free agency, effectively ending a two-decade tenure. It shift things to uncertainty around the franchise for the first time under head coach Bill Belichick.
The only initial expectation around Newton was that he would secure the starting job, which he did two weeks before the 2020 season. Newton entered the fray coming off back-to-back campaigns ended abruptly by significant injuries. It’s become a situation that the 31-year-old has quickly taken advantage of behind his performance on the field.
With that in mind, Newton has just given the Patriots another reason for optimism moving forward this year.
Cam Newton continues to play at historic pace
In Cam Newton’s brief tenure with the Patriots, he has received plenty of praise from his teammates and coaching staff, including Bill Belichick raving about his work ethic.
That has quickly translated to Newton finding immediate success under center through his first two games. Although the Patriots fell short in Week action against the Seattle Seahawks, the three-time Pro Bowler racked up his second straight game with a pair of rushing touchdowns.
It moved him into first place in league history, breaking a five-way tie that included Hall of Famers Steve Young and Otto Graham, with his eighth career game with at least two rushing touchdowns. Newton is an exceptional talent running the ball, which the Patriots have made substantial use of his effectiveness in goal-line opportunities.
His unique skill set has helped the Patriots find great success game planning around that aspect. It has opened up an entirely new part of the playbook, while Newton is playing quite effectively. He has a 71.4% completion rate through the first two games while holding a 96.8 quarterback rating.
He’s coming off throwing for 397 yards against the Seahawks while he has found a strong connection with Julian Edelman, who had 179 receiving yards on eight receptions. There is certainly room for improvement, but it’s a strong start to his first campaign with the Patriots.
Patriots eyeing bounce-back Week 3
The Patriots fell short against the Seahawks but had their chance to pull out a last-second road win.
New England will look to get back on track in Week 3 at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. Regardless of the outcome on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints, the Raiders look to be a formidable challenge behind their balanced offensive attack. Rising star running back Josh Jacobs anchors their offensive game plan.
Cam Newton will have more comfort running the offense with another game under his belt that should see him put forth a strong outing. The Patriots have entirely moved behind him to guide the charge forward in the 2020 season. It’s quite early in the process, but the Patriots could remain in the mix as a significant threat in the AFC to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs.
