New England Patriots
“If you keep playing sorry scrubs, then you’re going to have this falsetto of a mentality going into the playoffs.”
Mike Vrabel has helped the Patriots get out to a 9-2 start. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Cam Newton isn’t buying into the Patriots just yet.
The former Patriots quarterback is skeptical that the team will have success in the postseason due to their poor strength of schedule despite their league-best 9-2 record.
“It has fool’s gold written all over them,” Newton said of the Patriots on ESPN’s “First Take.” “The thing I have a problem with is if you keep playing sorry scrubs, then you’re going to have this falsetto of a mentality going into the playoffs and it has one-and-done written all over it.”
New England’s strength of schedule has been frequently mentioned as a reason why the Patriots might have a lower ceiling than other AFC contenders so far this season. The Patriots’ strength of schedule is not only the worst in the league this season, but they’re also the only team whose opponents’ combined winning percentage is less than .400 (.356). Some other measures point to the Patriots’ strength of schedule being historically weak.
However, the Patriots’ strength of victory, which is the combined winning percentage of opponents beaten, isn’t too far off compared to some other AFC playoff contenders. They have a .353 strength of victory (.353), which is in the as the Colts (.373), Bills (.362), and Chiefs (.362). That mark is also better than the Broncos’ strength of victory mark this season (.331).
Of course, the Patriots are also 2-1 against teams above .500 this season. They got upset wins over the Bills and Buccaneers on the road, while losing to the Steelers at home in Week 3.
But Newton likes another surprise AFC contender over the Patriots.
“At the end of the day, when you start to compare and contrast, I’m going to have to say the Indianapolis Colts,” Newton said.
Newton added that he felt the Colts’ decision to trade two first-round picks for cornerback Sauce Gardner elevated them and thinks it helped create a mindset that they’re for real, even if he isn’t a big fan of quarterback Daniel Jones. The Colts are also 2-2 against .500 teams this year, beating the Broncos and Chargers, while losing to the Rams and Steelers.
Newton gave some props to Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, though. He credited McDaniels’s “brilliant offensive mind” for helping Maye play at the level of an MVP contender this season, with the Patriots quarterback ranking seventh in passing yards per game (257.8), tied for second in touchdown passes (20), and fifth in passer rating (113.2)
“He’s playing brilliant,” Newton added on Maye. “He’s playing clean football.”
Still, Newton thinks that the Patriots won’t be battle-tested enough to make a run in the postseason.
“I have more concerns with the New England Patriots playing five and six teams that have losing records than going into a situation where the competition exceeds what you may have been used to,” Newton said. “That’s the biggest question I have for Drake Maye.”
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