Jarrett Stidham replacing Cam Newton was embarrassing new low

When the Patriots pulled Cam Newton for the fourth quarter for Jarrett Stidham, they made the “right call,” but at what cost?

The Patriots made a statement by pulling Cam Newton for the fourth quarter in favor of Jarrett Stidham on Sunday.

That statement? “We have a lot of problems, so please accept this shiny distraction.”

Newton, while lackluster, hesitant and off target yet again on Sunday, is only one of myriad problems with this offense, defense, and special teams on a half-constructed roster that’s usually papered over by Tom Brady.

And so it was somewhat poetic when Stidham’s entrance, meant to provide a flutter of hope against a 49ers defense that was bound to give a little up 27, resulted in the same type of brutal hip pocket interception that could’ve come from a blind-folded Newton. It was arguably the worst throw of this awful game, and so we cannot even deem this ending a success.

Did Newton deserve a little time off his feet to sit and think about what contributed to his offensive regression, following several days away from the team waiting for COVID-19 clearance? Sure. The move proved that even Newton, who’s done everything right fitting into Bill Belichick’s system, was not immune to punishment as a result of a subpar effort.

So much for that extension just around the bend, huh?

But the depressing reality of the Patriots’ situation was laid bare when Stidham handed off a few times to Damien Harris, called, “Red Gorilla!” and pirouetted onto the ground all by himself, untouched. He followed this balletic self-sack with a terrible decision, proving that disaster is cyclical during this winless October for the once-proud Patriots.

And meanwhile in Tampa, there was Brady, connecting with Rob Gronkowski yet again in a series of ill-timed cut-ins which felt like CBS keeping an inside joke up and running.

Any assessment of this loss that centers only on Newton is missing the larger framework of what it takes to lose this badly in the NFL.

But any analysis that ignores his shortcomings also isn’t giving the Patriots’ struggles a fair shake.

This was a total failure on Sunday, and Stidham’s predictably brutal cameo was the final reminder that there would be no quick fixes this time around for our charmed franchise.

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