Almost one week ago, the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, Cam Newton, tested positive for the coronavirus. Because of this, he was forced to miss the Monday night showdown between the Patriots and the Chiefs and is currently not allowed to play or practice because of his diagnosis. 

Cam Newton, who signed a one-year deal with the Patriots after being released from the Carolina Panthers after nine seasons, has already made a tremendous impact on the Patriots offense. He has led them to a current 2-2 record for the season, as well as, leading the team in passing yards alongside being second in rushing yards. 

Without Newton on the field against the Chief’s defense on October 5th, the Patriots struggled to score and move the ball down the field efficiently. They only managed to score ten points while having four turnovers throughout the game. It has proven challenging for the Patriots to win games without their starting quarterback on the field because of the struggle the backup quarterbacks had against the Chiefs. Both quarterbacks, Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer, combined for 172 passing yards and one touchdown. Opposing quarterback and reigning Superbowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes, had a field day, having 229 passing yards and two thrown touchdowns. 

The failure of the offense didn’t help the Patriots win or even come close to slowing down the defending Superbowl champions. Cam Newton’s presence not only gives the offense their motivation to play at an elite level but also gets the defense to play at an elite level to help the Patriots win and be a top team in the conference. 

According to cbssports.com, Cam Newton is close to returning but is not 100% recovered from the virus. He is hoping to continue his comeback season as soon as possible. The Patriots hope the former MVP from 2015 can return soon to help the team get back into the win column and hopefully continue their playoff streak.