Cam Newton Quietly Set an NFL Record During the Patriots’ Impressive Win Over the Ravens
What a difference a week makes. Just six nights after needing every second on the clock to get past the winless New York Jets, Cam Newton and the New England Patriots knocked off one of the top contenders in the AFC with an impressive 23-17 victory over reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
While Cam Newton didn’t throw for a ton of yardage, he was extremely efficient passing the football and, as usual, made things happen with his legs as well. In fact, he quietly set an NFL record when he ran for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Cam Newton had his highest quarterback rating of the season against the Ravens
Coming into Sunday night’s game against the Ravens, Cam Newton had surpassed the century mark as it pertains to quarterback rating just once as a member of the New England Patriots. That came in the Pats’ season-opening victory over the Miami Dolphins, a win in which the former NFL MVP completed 15 of 19 passes for 155 yards.
Newton surpassed that mark on Sunday night against the Ravens, posting his highest quarterback rating of the season at 114.3. On an extremely rainy night in Foxboro, he completed 13 of 17 passes for 118 yards with a touchdown, his third of the season through the air. What’s even more encouraging is the fact that he didn’t throw an interception for the third straight game after throwing seven picks through his first five starts.
Cam Newton also added 21 yards on the ground and gave the Patriots a little cushion when he ran for a touchdown less than two minutes into the second half, a run that put him in the NFL record books.
Cam Newton set an NFL record with his TD run in the third quarter
While Cam Newton certainly doesn’t run the ball as much as he used to, he’s still one of the best mobile quarterbacks in football when healthy and he’s always a threat to score near the goal line. Not even two minutes into the second half on Sunday night, Newton found the end zone from four yards out, his ninth rushing touchdown of the season, to give New England a 10-point lead and made a little NFL history in the process.
According to NFL Research, Cam Newton is the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era with nine rushing touchdowns in his first eight games of a season. Don’t forget that Newton missed the Patriots’ Week 4 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs after contracting COVID-19. Newton is actually tied for third among all players this season with those nine rushing scores. Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley also has nine and he and Newton trail only Kyler Murray (10) and Dalvin Cook.
As he’s done for quite some time now, Cam Newton also added to an NFL record he already owns.
He added to the NFL record he already owns
Cam Newton’s touchdown run on Sunday night against the Ravens marked the 67th time he’s found the end zone on the ground, easily the most touchdowns scored by a quarterback in NFL history. The previous record-holder was Hall of Famer Steve Young, who rushed for 43 touchdowns during his 15-year career. Newton broke the record during the first game of his sixth season back in 2016.
Cam Newton and the New England Patriots will visit the Houston Texans this Sunday as they attempt to get back to the .500 mark.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
