If Cam Newton is healthy, the Patriots will dominate the AFC East

The rest of the NFL should be terrified of what Cam Newton might do in New England this season. 

The Patriots were lucky to land Cam Newton late in the offseason and if healthy, he gives them a strong chance in a division they’ve already owned over the past two decades.

Losing Tom Brady seemed like a crushing blow for the New England Patriots, who were fortunate to have Brady under center for them for pretty much the entire century to this point.

Once Brady bolted, a lot of people were ruling out the Patriots and handing the AFC East to the Buffalo Bills. It wasn’t necessarily a crazy thought, as the Bills have improved significantly in recent years and with Brady leaving, why wouldn’t another team be in contention to finally win the division?

Well, that dream lasted about three months for the Bills, as the Patriots have moved themselves into being favorites to win the division after the acquisition of Cam Newton.

There’s obviously a big caveat here and that’s Newton’s health. His injuries in recent years is what cost him his job in Carolina and is also the reason it took him so long to get signed in the offseason and why the Patriots only offered him a one-year deal.

We all know one-year deals for established veterans are known as “prove it” deals and that’s what the Patriots want to see from Newton – They want him to prove that he can still go out there and win the biggest games on the biggest stages.

The last time Newton played all 16 games in a regular season was in 2017 where he threw for 3,302 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 754 yards and six touchdowns. Carolina finished with an 11-5 record and narrowly lost in the Wild Card round to the Saints.

Newton was able to do that kind of damage in a tough division against tough teams, so just imagine how much he’ll be able to dominate a much weaker division.

When Brady was in New England, the Patriots weren’t the most exciting team to watch, at least not in recent years. Newton makes them an exciting team now, as he’s the polar opposite of Brady. He’s able to make plays with both his arms and his legs and that’s going to give New England a whole new look.

The AFC East hasn’t been able to figure out the Patriots, at least not when it comes to prying the division away from them. If Newton is healthy, he’ll have no problem putting up points on the likes of the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets. Buffalo had their best team in a long time last year and still couldn’t take down the Patriots, so handing them the division when Bill Belichick is still the head coach seems foolish.

Cam Newton might not be with the team who took him number one overall anymore, but he’s going to prove that he’s still a solid signal caller and that he can still win games for a team. Assuming he’s good to go, the Patriots should be able to steamroll their way through the AFC East.