Coming off one of his worst performances of the season, and with media-based questions rising over his grip on the starting quarterback job, Cam Newton delivered an efficient, old-school performance dominated by the running game Sunday in the New England Patriots’ 45-0 road victory over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Newton finished 12-of-19 for 69 yards and one touchdown passing, while adding 14 carries for 48 yards and two touchdowns. And perhaps most important, as Newton himself has noted many times, there were no turnovers.
The Patriots jumped ahead early and never looked back in their most impressive three-phase effort of the season -- with two special-teams touchdowns, a lockdown defense that stymied Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, and the crisp Newton-led offense that churned out yards on the ground and even featured a few surprise Wildcat snaps early on.
The Patriots improved to 6-6 and keep their long-shot playoff hopes alive. They would currently be on the outside looking in, but with remaining games at the Rams and Dolphins -- followed by home games against the Bills and Jets to close out the season -- they could make a late push.
The team is staying in Los Angeles leading into Thursday’s game against the Rams. That will provide welcome rest for Newton -- who was pulled with a big lead midway through the fourth quarter -- after offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had turned him loose as a rusher.
Newton’s 12 rushing attempts in the first half was his most in any half of his career, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
He recorded his fourth game of the season with multiple rushing touchdowns, which leaves him one shy of tying the Patriots’ single-season record set by Curtis Martin in 1995.
With 11 rushing touchdowns on the season, Newton now has three seasons with double-digit rushing touchdowns (2011, 2015). No other quarterback has done that more than once.
That should quiet media-based questions about Newton's job status in New England.
Describe the game in two words: Patriots football. When the offense, defense and special teams complement each other like that, anything is possible for the Patriots -- including a playoff push.
Promising trend: Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore is coming on strong. Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen led the NFL in receptions entering the game, and Gilmore mostly locked him down (five catches, 48 yards) in got-to-have-it situations. This comes one week after Gilmore battled against dangerous Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins and gave him everything he could handle. The defense, overall, completely stymied Chargers rookie QB Herbert.
Buy on a breakout performance: Patriots special teams produced two touchdowns, with Gunner Olszewski turning in a career day as a punt returner and then adding a touchdown catch in garbage time. The Patriots devote as many resources to special teams as almost any team in the league -- with players such as Justin Bethel, Cody Davis, Donte Moncrief and Matthew Slater signed specifically to play -- and this game showed how the “third phase” of the game can play a major role in a victory.
Eye-popping NextGen Stat: Patriots captain Devin McCourty reached 21.1 mph on his 44-yard return of a blocked field goal late in the second quarter. That marks his third highest as a ball carrier over the past three seasons and his seventh fastest on any play. McCourty reached 21.3 mph on his interception return for a touchdown in a Week 2 loss at Seattle. The only other players with multiple touchdowns reaching 21 mph this season are Tennessee’s A.J. Brown, San Francisco’s Raheem Mostert and Arizona’s Christian Kirk.