If the New England Patriots are going to bounce back Sunday afternoon, they'll need their starting quarterback to rebound from his underwhelming Week 6 performance.
Cam Newton struggled in his first game back since being removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list. The first-year Patriot only threw for 157 yards to go along with two interceptions in New England's ugly 18-12 loss to the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium.
New England will be challenged in Week 7 when the San Francisco 49ers visit Foxboro. Old friend Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. are coming off an impressive win over the Los Angeles Rams and they soon could start to come into their own now that their collective team health has improved. But ESPN 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner believes Newton will give San Francisco fits in this late-afternoon clash.
"New England quarterback Cam Newton will rush for 90-plus yards," Wagoner picked as his bold prediction for 49ers-Patriots. "Believe it or not, Newton has only four such games in his career and hasn't hit the 90-yard mark since 2017. But the 49ers have struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks, allowing 231 rushing yards to QBs so far this season, most in the NFL."
The Patriots might need Newton to use his legs early and often against the 49ers. New England's pass-catchers haven't offered much production thus far this season, and the Patriots seem to be at their best when Newton is regularly leaving the pocket.
Kickoff from Gillette Stadium is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.
