Why Patriots fans should believe in Cam Newton

The New England Patriots didn’t have the best season in 2020 and the same goes for Cam Newton, but fans should believe in Newton heading into 2021.

There is no denying that Newton struggled last season. While he was great on the ground scoring double-digit touchdowns, he struggled to throw the ball.

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In 2020, Newton threw for only 2,657 yards and eight touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions. Those numbers don’t give off a lot of hope.

But let’s also consider everything that Newton had to go through in what was a highly unusual year. The 2020 offseason was one that fans and players haven’t seen before, due to COVID-19.

Newton never really got a true lesson in New England’s offense. He had to enter the regular season flying relatively blind.

Then Newton contracted the coronavirus and was forced to miss some time. Then when he returned it took a few games for him to become himself again. Newton even noted that there was a sort of mental fog in his first few games back.

The news of Newton’s re-signing didn’t exactly sit well with Patriots fans. They thought that New England was settling for mediocrity and hurting themselves in the process.

Why Patriots fans should believe in Cam Newton?

So it might be surprising for Patriots fans to hear that they should believe in Newton. With everything he went through in 2020, he is bound to have a better season.

New England improved at both wide receiver and tight end. The acquisitions of players such as Hunter Henry and Nelson Agholor could help Newton do much better in 2021. Particularly Agholor’s deep threat ability makes him an intriguing weapon for Newton.

Also, Jakobi Meyers will be returning to the Patriots after having one of his best seasons in 2020. Meyers had 59 catches for 729 yards and was great operating in the slot.

Newton will also have the benefit of working with his Patriots teammates for a full offseason. We have already seen him workout with some wide receivers and tight ends along with Jarrett Stidham. Also, Newton will benefit from more in-person preseason activities compared to virtual ones last offseason.

Then there’s also the fact that many experts are saying that Newton will do much better in 2021. Along with throwing expert Tom House, former Patriots wideout Deion Branch believes that Newton will do much better this year.

"“Given the offseason [he’ll have], I think we’ll see a better Cam,” Branch said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Everybody is always talking about the 2015 [MVP] Cam Newton, but I’d like to go back to just the 2018 [version] — 67.9 percent passing, 24 TDs, 13 interceptions. If they can get that type of performance, I think this will be a great year.”"

It’s safe to say that Pats fans aren’t expecting Newton to be an MVP, but even if he just improves on last season, New England will do better. They could actually find their way back into the playoffs.

When you combine the fact that the Patriots have better weapons along with a full offseason, Newton has to perform better. New England could even gain more weapons via the 2021 NFL Draft.

So Newton should perform well in 2021, and Pats fans should believe in him. Newton won’t lead the Patriots to the bottom, if anything he can help get them back to the top.