The New England Patriots found themselves in unfamiliar territory for the first time since 2002 after losing to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. They currently hold a 2-3 (win-loss) record and are ranked third in the AFC East, behind the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills.
For many fans, especially those who witnessed how the Patriots performed over the last decade, third place is very unthinkable for the Pats as they won the AFC East 17 times out of 18 years of having Tom Brady as their starting quarterback.
They finished in second during the year that they did not win it with Brady.
At that time, Matt Cassel replaced the injured star quarterback, and they finished the season as second in the division.
New England has not finished a season under second place since the start of the new millennium, NBC reported via MSN.
But this time, since the future Hall of Famer quarterback is no longer on their side, many analysts stated that they are no longer the same Patriots. The team needs a major turnaround, or they will be out of the playoff picture.
Being in the third, analysts say that the Pats are in a danger zone, but their new quarterback Cam Newton thinks it is too early for fans and analysts to throw caution to the wind.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Newton shared during his interview that there is no need to press the panic button, and there is also no need to start reinventing the wheel as he revealed that they all have the answers in the locker room.
The Patriots' 2-3 record also puts them for the first time since 2002 under .500 out of five games.
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Newton, who made his first start since coming off the coronavirus list, did not put together his best performance against the Broncos after throwing just 157 yards and managing only two interceptions.
Newton alluded his performance to lack of practice as he has been recovering from a COVID-19 infection.
In his interview, Newton emphasized that the biggest discrepancy of not being able to practice is not having the proper timing and accurate anticipation.
The new Pats quarterback also took accountability after the offense of the Patriots was limited to just 12 points on Sunday against the Broncos, NESN reported.
Newton shared that he is not pointing fingers, but instead, he points thumbs, showing full responsibility and accountability about the team's performance on the offensive side.
He also added that after the performance against the Broncos, he would be better moving forward.
Newton, a three-time Pro Bowler, delivered a strong message for those saying that the Pats run may come to an end because of their recent performances. He added that even if the sky were falling the next couple of days, he would bring his umbrella and raincoat to get the job done.
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