New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton currently is on pace for one of the more bizarre statistical passing seasons in NFL history.
Newton is completing 68.1% of his passes for 1,417 yards, but he has just two passing touchdowns and seven interceptions through seven games. You can probably figure out with some simple multiplication that he’s on pace for just four touchdown passes and 14 picks on the year.
That, of course, does not tell the full story of Newton’s season. He’s also carried the ball 69 times for 314 yards with eight rushing touchdowns and is on pace for 138 carries for 628 yards with 16 rushing scores.
Newton has never thrown for less than 3,100 yards while playing at least 14 games. He’s also never thrown for fewer than 19 passing touchdowns. His career high in interceptions came in his 2011 rookie season when he had 17 picks.
Newton has rushed more than 138 times just once in his career. His career-high in rushing touchdowns came in 2011 when he had 14 scores. Newton’s career-low for total touchdowns came in 2014 with 23 (18 passing touchdowns and five rushing scores). He’s on pace for just 20 total touchdowns this year.
Newton is unphased.
“That’s what I say, like touchdowns are touchdowns,” Newton said Thursday when asked about his low passing touchdown totals. “A passing touchdown is no different than a running touchdown. And production as an offense is no different than if I’m scoring or Rex Burkhead is scoring or Damien Harris is scoring. It doesn’t matter. For us, or really for me since I can only speak for myself, whenever given the opportunity, I think a lot of people look down on the fact that you run touchdowns in. So be it.
“Would I want to have more touchdowns in total? I think that’s an irrelevant or an obvious question that everybody knows what the answer would be. I’m still learning. I’m still trying to get the best version of me to feel comfortable in this offense. And I think I speak for a lot of people when they say the same thing with learning the offense, trying to understand what Josh and the offensive staff are trying to get from us every day, what they’re seeing, understanding the playcall’s purpose. That will lead to offensive performances that we would like to see from touchdowns to yards to everything else. From me personally, I don’t necessarily look deep into it. But knowing, if given the opportunity, I would love to get more touchdowns. And I could care less if it came through the air or on the ground.”
Only 21 quarterbacks in NFL history — six of whom led their teams to winning records — have started at least 14 games and thrown for less than 10 touchdowns. None of them have completed even close to 68% of their passes. Only five quarterbacks have thrown for four or fewer touchdowns in at least 14 games: Joe Ferguson with the 1973 Buffalo Bills, Trent Dilfer with the 1995 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Keith Molesworth with the 1932 Chicago Bears, Milt Romney with the 1926 Chicago Bears and Joe Sternaman with the 1925 Chicago Bears.
Vince Young is the last quarterback to throw for single-digit touchdowns in nearly a full season. He played 15 games in 2007, led the Titans to a 9-6 record and completed 62.3% of his passes for 2,546 yards with nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions. No quarterback in NFL history has ever played at least 14 games while throwing for single-digit touchdowns and more than 2,774 yards.
So, Newton is entering unchartered territory unless he picks up his passing touchdown pace.
