It was quite a bounce-back performance from New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton.
The veteran signal-caller was in the midst of a rough stretch himself as the Patriots dropped four straight contests. Newton, though, put those struggles behind him to help lead the Patriots to a 30-27 comeback win over the New York Jets on “Monday Night Football.”
And his performance — 27-for-35, 274 yards passing; two rushing touchdowns — certainly impressed a few members of the opposing Jets.
“Cam Newton is a very, very, very good player,” New York defensive lineman Folorunso Fatukasi told reporters after the game. “We know the plans with the Patriots, you know, suit him. And one thing they do very well is execute the things that they do, so we knew we had to come in with the right plan to execute our jobs against them.
“Shoot, look, Cam is a very great player and his résumé speaks for itself. Anybody who watches his game, I believe they would agree. … He was a great opponent, and we have more great opponents that we’re going to have to play,” Fatukasi added. “… His name is going to be remembered for a long time. But that doesn’t mean we settle. We have to do more.”
Jets head coach Adam Gase was asked if he expected Newton to run more for the Patriots on Monday (10 rushes, 16 yards), but acknowledged how he wasn’t sure how New England would use him.
“I think we were prepared for quarterback-designed runs,” Gase told reporters. “We weren’t sure if that would be what they were looking to do game-plan wise. Just ‘cause most teams, they change up how they run the ball against us a little bit. I don’t think they were looking to see how many hits he could take running the football.”
Instead, Newton’s 274 yards passing were the second most this season, behind only his notable Week 2 performance against the Seattle Seahawks. Newton completed 13 of his 14 first-half pass attempts before leading the Patriots on consecutive fourth-quarter drives, which ultimately helped New England pull out the win.
He did, however, score the game-tying touchdown with his feet with just under two minutes left in regulation. Newton then helped the Patriots cover 45 yards in 45 second, including a third-down conversion with his feet and a chunk play to receiver Jakobi Meyers with his arm. It set up Nick Folk’s game-winning field goal at the buzzer.
