Patriots Bench Cam Newton as Offense Struggles Against Bills
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The Patriots benched quarterback Cam Newton in the second half of their matchup with the Bills on Monday night.
Newton struggled mightily before getting replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the third quarter. He threw for just 34 yards on 10 attempts, failing to find the end zone in the air as the Bills opened up a double-digit lead.
Monday's struggles continued a trend of poor performances from Newton. He has thrown just one touchdown in his last five games, throwing for 2,381 yards in 13 starts.
From @ESPNStatsInfo: Cam Newton's 34 passing yards are the fewest by a Patriots starting QB since 1993, when Scott Secules had 13 in Week 10 (also at home vs the Bills). That year was Bill Parcells' first season as Patriots head coach.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 29, 2020
Stidham couldn't exactly get the Patriots' offense back on track after Newton's benching. Buffalo secured a 38-9 victory, blowing past New England as quarterback Josh Allen tallied a quartet of touchdown passes. Allen's 34 touchdowns in 2020 are the most in franchise history.
ABSURD THROW. ABSURD CATCH. 😱
— ESPN (@espn) December 29, 2020
Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs having their way with the Patriots' defense 🔥 (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/ege0h7ryEu
New England entered Monday night third in the AFC East at 6–8. Bill Belichick and Co. will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008 this season.