Expectations for the New England Patriots With Cam Newton Could be More Surprising Than You Think

As you all know by now, the New England Patriots have a new quarterback under center in Cam Newton. While some people seemingly believe that Jarrett Stidham might still have the advantage to get the quarterback job due to his familiarity with the system, they certainly are not in the majority.

So with Cam Newton pairing up with Bill Belichick, the Patriots should be able to compete with the rest of the AFC East and their tough schedule more than they would have with Stidham, who has thrown just four passes in his career (if you can even call it a career).

The expectation for New England this year should be to win their division and then lose to the Ravens or the Chiefs in the playoffs. With one of those two teams getting the bye in the first round, the Patriots could get lucky and play a team at home to advance to the second round.

I know that I might be putting too much faith into Cam Newton here, but assuming he can stay healthy I don’t see why the Patriots shouldn’t be able to beat the Buffalo Bills out in the AFC East.

New England would be getting a full season of a healthy Cam Newton, and he would bring a double threat to their offense. You’ve got to remember that Belichick will now have more options on any given play call due to the fact that Newton can use his legs when he sees a gap while Belichick couldn’t do that with Tom Brady for 20 years.

I also think that the the crowd aspect is being overlooked as well. If there are no fans or less fans than usual, all of a sudden it makes the Patriots’ road games at Seattle and at Kansas City much easier than they would’ve been with a full stadium.

Cam Newton’s health is obviously going to be a huge factor to if the Patriots will be a playoff contender this year, but if he is healthy then I think the sky is the limit when it comes to winning the division and making it deep into January until they get to Baltimore and Kansas City.

(Photo: Jeremy Brevard-USA Today Sports)