The New England Patriots can’t keep winning like they did in Week 1. There’s no doubt that it was an effective game plan and one that highlighted Cam Newton’s strengths. New England threw the ball just 19 times while Newton had 15 carries, the second most in his career in a single game, and the Patriots finished with 42 rushes.
Was that total concerning to Newton?
He made his answer brief on Sunday: “I just wanted to win.”
The Patriots want to smush their opponents into submission with their powerful runners and their impressive offensive line. But Newton can’t be the feature running back without potentially sacrificing his abilities as a passer. Because Newton is, first and foremost, a thrower. And he was darn good on Sunday, while going 15 of 19 for 155 yards. If the Patriots are going to win games deep into the season, they’re going to need Newton to throw more often while running less. If New England really wants to win with 42 runs and 19 passes, it will need someone else to take some carries off Newton’s hands. Bill Belichick explained why that may happen naturally.
“Some of those runs are option-style runs, so we don’t know who is going to get the ball. It depends how the defense plays it. It’s not like handing the ball off to the halfback up the middle, so when you run plays some type of an option to them, you don’t know for sure who’s going to get the ball,” Belichick said on a videoconference call on Monday. “I think those numbers are, with all due respect, a little bit skewed. The defense can put the ball in whoever’s hands they want to, if they really want to declare who gets the ball.”
By that logic, the Dolphins put the ball in Newton’s hands 15 times. That’s an exaggeration — and a difference of responsibility. The Dolphins would’ve preferred Newton got the ball less often — he was running better than the Patriots running backs. Belichick’s explanation doesn’t give offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels enough agency. He called those zone-read options because they were working. And they were working because they kept ending up in Newton’s hands.
So New England needs to know when enough is enough. They need to step away from those zone-read plays, even if they’re working, to ensure they have Newton for all 16 games — and perhaps beyond that.
So how will they be succesful without what has already become their bread and butter? New England can using traditional running plays with increased regularity. The team can also add more pass options to their zone-read, so that Newton can throw after keeping the ball. And the Patriots can simply call more passing plays. They all seem like viable options, with the last option likely to take the most time and effort.
The reason why New England did not throw with great regularity is probably a simple one: They weren’t ready. The offseason was short, and Newton is getting to know a pass-catching group, which, frankly, is underwhelming. Receiver Julian Edelman seems to be limited with a knee injury. N’Keal Harry is still figuring out how to contribute in the NFL. Gunner Olszewski is on injured reserve. And Damiere Byrd and Jakobi Meyers didn’t log a single catch in Week 1. It’s not hopeless. But it’s not an intimidating group.
They will evolve — because they have to. They will adapt — because they have to. Newton’s exciting contributions in Week 1 were simply unsustainable. Surely, Belichick and McDaniels know that. They will work heavily on the passing game to make sure the receivers can make a bigger impact in the weeks to come — and to make sure Newton stays healthy.
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