New England Patriots will return stronger and Cam Newton will be part of it

The New England Patriots suffered defeat at the hands of the LA Rams in a rematch of Super Bowl LIII, a game in which the Rams scored just three points as the Patriots lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Michael Brockers of the Los Angeles Rams sacks New England Patriots' Cam Newton during the Rams win at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Picture: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

This week the Rams looked a different team with their defense dominant and their running game working perfectly as they pulled off a 24-3 victory. The loss effectively ended the Patriots' post-season hopes.

With just six wins and seven losses, they look like they'll miss the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. But are they a bad team?

They are in transition and yet with a couple of plays they could be having a very different season because four of their losses have been by less than a score.

In Cam Newton, they have a new style of quarterback and despite Newton being benched late in the Rams game, the whispers are that head coach Bill Belichick is impressed with the way he carries himself in the locker room and around the team facility.

Newton will be relieved that his replacement, Jarrett Stidham, didn’t appear to be an improvement. Of course, the focus was always going to be about the quarterback, following the departure of Tom Brady after 20 years with the Patriots.

But New England's biggest problem is they have no one to catch the ball. Since 2010 the Patriots have drafted ten wide receivers, but only two have seen meaningful time on the field with six no longer playing in the NFL.

Since 2015 they have had only three players with 1000-plus yards receiving seasons and this year they have only two players above 500 yards.

Add into the mix that Newton, is adapting to a new system, had no preseason and missed two weeks through a Covid diagnosis, maybe the Patriots aren't that far from being back at the top of the pile.

So enjoy your time Buffalo and Miami because the Patriots may be on a down year, but next season expect them to be back in their place, atop the AFC East.

With three weeks left, teams have begun to secure their places in the playoffs, with Kansas City Chiefs being one of the first to do so. The Chiefs were run close by the Miami Dolphins before eventually coming out 33-27 winners and securing their fifth consecutive AFC West title.

With Miami losing Buffalo capitalised on the Steelers’ short week to inflict a second loss in five days on the previously unbeaten team. The Bills collected a tenth win and opened up a two-game lead over Miami with the 26-15 victory.

New Orleans, who secured their postseason spot last week, suffered defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles led 17-0 but needed a late touchdown to stop a Saints comeback, eventually winning 24-21.

The Green Bay Packers held on to beat the Detroit Lions 31-24 and clinch the NFC North Division. The Packers knew a win would give them the title after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Minnesota Vikings 26-14 earlier in the day.

The Dallas Cowboys kept their slim hopes alive with Andy Dalton returning to Cincinnati and putting his former team to the sword with a 30-7 victory. The NFC East could still send a team with a losing record to the playoffs, but Washington took a step closer to finishing with at least a .500 record after a 23-15 win over San Francisco.

While Washington were winning the New York Giants, who surprised the Seahawks last week, couldn’t carry the form over as they lost to the Arizona Cardinals 26-7. Washington hold the division lead with six wins and seven losses.

The NFC West is also a close run division but for different reasons. Seattle bounced back to humiliate the Jets 40-3. Combined with wins for Arizona and the Rams all three teams are currently in the playoffs.

In the AFC South, Tennessee followed up last week’s big win over Indianapolis by beating the lowly Jaguars 31-10. The Colts responded to last week’s loss with a statement 44-27 win over the Las Vegas Raiders that could end up costing the Raiders a playoff spot while pushing the Colts into the wild card slot.

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