Cam Newton a longshot to play this week, but who starts for the Patriots?
By John Buhler
Cam Newton may start in Week 5, but remains a longshot to do so.
Cam Newton may be able to start for the New England Patriots in Week 5, but don’t count on it.
After starting the first three games of the 2020 NFL season, Newton was ruled for the Patriots’ Week 4 road date vs. the Kansas City Chiefs due to testing positive for the coronavirus. His positive test was a reason the game was moved from Sunday afternoon to Monday night. Though he could start in Week 5 vs. the Denver Broncos, he’s more likely to be out for another week or so.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1313548685398216711
If Cam Newton can’t go on Sunday afternoon, who should start for the Patriots?
With Newton out on Monday night, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick opted to go with the veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer over second-year pro Jarrett Stidham. Well, Hoyer got sacked on the final play of the first half because he thought he had a timeout that he did not. Stidham played in the second half, but was a pick machine that the Kansas City secondary had no problem exploiting.
The good news for the Patriots is they’re not playing the Chiefs on the road again. They get arguably the worst team in the AFC West at home in Denver this week. Though the Broncos got their first win of the season on Thursday Night Football over the New York Jets, New England won’t be at a massive quarterback deficit whether Brett Rypien or Drew Lock gets the start.
So who should start for the Patriots vs. Denver? You could really go either way and still probably hate the result. If Belichick goes with Hoyer, he can count on the ball not being turned over at will like it was with Stidham. However, Hoyer hasn’t shown a proclivity to put up points in a very long time. Stidham has more upside, but Denver has the defense to make him look terrible at home.
Related Story. Julian Edelman hands Tyrann Mathieu a pick-six, and the win (Video). light
Because the Patriots need to win this game to avoid starting the year out at 2-3, here is what they need to do. As much as Belichick hates it, he should go with Hoyer over Stidham as the starter to attempt to keep the game close. If Hoyer is ineffective again, then you should have no problem rolling the dice and seeing what Stidham can do in a last ditch effort. They really need Newton.
This is what life without Tom Brady is like for the Evil Empire, and it’s not great at all.