Cam Newton benched, Patriots blown out by 49ers at home
In the words of former Panthers coach John Fox, Cam Newton picked a bad day to have a bad day.
Playing a nationally televised game on CBS, Newton and the New England Patriots fell to 2-4 for the season and really didn’t look good in a 33-6 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Newton completed 9-of-15 passes for 98 yards and threw three interceptions. He ran five times for 19 yards before being benched for backup Jarrett Stidham early in the fourth quarter.
In his last two games, Newton has five interceptions and no touchdown passes. In those two games, he’s thrown for 255 yards total.
Since starting the 2019 season 10-1, the Patriots are now 4-8 in their last 12 games. At least eight key Patriots’ players, including star linebacker Dont’a Hightower, are not playing this season, having opted out due to COVID-19.
In addition, Newton has missed a game after contracting COVID-19, and cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who is from Rock Hill, also tested positive. The Patriots also played without running back Sony Michel and offensive guard Shaq Mason, who were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list are out indefinitely.
For Newton, though, it was a particularly tough performance on a day he reached an NFL milestone.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 7:03 PM.
