Cam Newton on more than one occasion this season has expressed belief that the Patriots' offense can thrive with the weapons presently in the locker room.
At this point, it's tough to agree with New England's starting quarterback.
Yes, Newton has been awful since returning from the reserve/COVID-19 list, but some of the QB's struggles likely can be attributed to his supporting cast. Lighting it up is no easy task when two of your top receivers are Jakobi Meyers and Damiere Byrd and you're receiving effectively zero production from your tight ends.
Colin Cowherd focused on the Patriots' pass-catchers as he summed up New England's Week 7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. "The Herd" host believes Patriots executives didn't set up Newton -- or any other quarterback, for that matter -- to succeed.
"Bill comes due," Cowherd said Monday on FOX Sports 1. "(Bill) Belichick's worst loss -- 27-point loss -- at Foxboro. Now, some of this is San Francisco's good. They're getting healthier. They don't have (Nick) Bosa, but that's still a decent pass rush. First time New England not scoring a touchdown at home in four years. Cam Newton's passer rating has declined each game. Listen, they don't draft offensive skill people well. So, good luck to Cam or any other quarterback here. You cannot win with this slow of a receiving and tight end corps. I don't care if you have (Patrick) Mahomes. You cannot win big with this roster."
Luckily for New England, the AFC East still seems to be a winnable division. A win Sunday in Buffalo over the 4-2 Bills would go a long way in keeping the Patriots in the mix.
