The Patriots were pretty lousy offensively in Week 4, but they were tasked to play without their starting quarterback against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cam Newton was back on the field this past Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Offensive improvements, however, were nowhere to be found.
The Patriots logged just 288 yards of offense in their 18-12 loss to the Broncos at Gillette Stadium. Newton completed 68 percent of his passes, but only for 157 yards with no touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions in his first game since being removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Colin Cowherd’s criticism toward New England on Monday wasn’t directed much at Newton, however. Instead, the “The Herd” host took aim at the signal-caller’s supporting cast.
“Cam needs help,” Cowherd said on FOX Sports 1. “New England’s last in the NFL in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. This was a (Tom) Brady complaint. Now, Cam got real loose yesterday with his mechanics and the offensive line was beat up. They have no vertical threat. That (Damiere) Byrd kid? That’s not a starting receiver.
“This is the weakest receiving corps in the NFL. N’Keal Harry appears to be a bust, can’t separate. (Julian) Edelman, now, drops are contagious. Their best receiver is James White, the running back. They have no weapons. There’s nothing to throw to. It’s the weakness, the blind spot of the best football coach ever, Bill Belichick.”
Newton evidently doesn’t believe he’s in need of help. The first-year Patriot after the Week 6 game expressed a high level of confidence in his receiving corps despite their lack of production. Edelman, the elder statesman of the group, also seems to believe improvements will be made.
We’ll see if New England can bounce back Sunday when it hosts old friend Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers.
