Despite achieving a 36-20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, not everyone at One Patriot Place is necessarily happy with their performance.
Cam Newton is aware that he struggled during the game at times, and he has taken full accountability for the issues on offense.
The New England Patriots’ quarterback threw for 162 yards, one touchdown, and one interception on Sunday, and contributed only 27 rushing yards to the offensive production.
During his Monday morning interview with WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show,” Newton was asked to give a grade for his performance against Jon Gruden’s Raiders.
“(Sunday) was kind of frustrating in itself,” Newton said. “I do understand, playing in this league long enough, that there will be games like that. And when there are games like that, you’ve just got to find ways to win.
“So that’s the optimistic answer. Me personally, with lackluster ball security, just the slow start offensively, this is subpar performance. I know I can play better, I know I can be better and I know I will be better. … I’m going, like, midway C — 75. Just subpar.”
Newton acknowledged his mistakes and was accountable for the poor showing. Throwing into triple coverage multiple times resulted in his second interception of the year. Luckily for him, the defense only capitalized on one of those ill-advised tosses.
“(I was) trying to do too much,” Newton stated. “Simple. I lost the defender, and when you’re scrambling, you just kind of assume certain people are going to certain people. (Abram) just peeled back, and I didn’t take account of him. It sucks. Things like that just can’t happen.”
There were questions about Newton’s mentality and maturity when he first arrived in New England but answers like these show the type of competitor that Newton wants to be
Yes, the team won. However, it wasn’t perfect, and there is a lot to improve on. It’s good to know that the quarterback will be the first one to tell it like it is.
