How the Jets Are Preparing to Contain Cam Newton on Monday Night

The New York Jets host the New England Patriots on Monday night. While the defense won't have to face Tom Brady, their hands are full with former MVP Cam Newton

Don't let Tom Brady's departure and the Patriots' sour start to the season deceive you. The winless Jets aren't taking New England lightly, in large part due to their dynamic quarterback, Cam Newton.

"It's really been problematic for other teams when he's running ball," Jets head coach Adam Gase told reporters on Thursday. "They're doing the zone-read stuff. When he's pulling it down and scrambling and creating first downs, that's been problematic. He's hit some good throws in some tight windows. I think it's just we have to make sure that he doesn't get in a great rhythm. That's the last thing you want to have happen with him."

In his first year with the Patriots, filling the shoes of a legend at his position, Newton has struggled. Entering play on Sunday, Newton has just 1,143 yards passing through six games. There are 27 other quarterbacks with more yards through the air through Week 8 of this season.

Newton has thrown only two touchdown passes this year to go along with seven interceptions. Even Jets starting quarterback Sam Darnold has more touchdown passes (three).

READ: Jets' Sam Darnold Doubtful For Monday Night; Joe Flacco Expected to Start

Further, the Patriots have lost four games in a row and if it wasn't for the Jets abysmal start in 2020, New England could be in danger of falling to last place in the division. That's for a team that's won the AFC East for 11 straight years and 17 of the last 19.

Nonetheless, Gase and the coaching staff in New York recognize the potential Newton has to break out on Monday night. 

“He is a rare dude,” defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said in a Zoom call on Saturday. “One of the things we talked about with our players is that you’re looking at a defensive end playing quarterback when you take a look at the body size and the body type. But he can play the quarterback positions in a lot of different ways and we’ve got to be sound in all of our ways.”

"I've played him a few times in the past when he was at Carolina, I've seen him get really hot. And that's the last thing you need. If he gets in a great rhythm that's when he gets really scary," Gase added.

READ: Jets' Final Injury Report For Week 9 vs. Patriots

Newton is now five years removed from his MVP season with the Panthers, but he's shown glimpses this year of greatness. Gase singled out the 31-year-old's performance against the Seahawks back in Week 2, throwing for 397 yards (30-for-44), singlehandedly giving New England a chance to win in a 30-35 loss.

It was by far Newton's best performance from a passing standpoint this year as he hasn't thrown for more than 174 yards in any other game this season. 

Beyond his ability to sling it with his right arm, it's Newton's legs that defenders really have to be conscious about on game day. 

Newton actually leads the Patriots with 298 yards rushing (averaging 49.7 yards and 9.7 attempts per game) along with six touchdowns on the ground and counting.

With a depleted defensive unit, following several trades leading up to last week's deadline and a handful of injuries, Newton may very well run all over New York's defense at MetLife Stadium on the national stage. They're also coming off last week's shellacking in Kansas City in which Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 416 yards with five scores.

The Jets have faced several elite quarterbacks thus far this season, known for extending plays with their feet and throwing while moving around the pocket. That includes Mahomes and Arizona's Kyler Murray. Slow start aside, New York's defenders are preparing by putting Newton in the same category as the league's best.

Jets cornerback Bless Austin put it best. “Cam Newton is a former MVP for a reason."

"The challenge is [facing] a former MVP," Austin explained in a Zoom call early in the week. "He can move around, he can move the pocket. He’s a veteran, he has the ability to check in and out of things when his offense isn’t in a comfortable situation against a defensive play call. It’s a veteran, a dude who knows where to go with the ball and he’s not too fond of making too many bad decisions to put his team in a bad place."

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