The New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl, much to the chagrin of the other 31 fanbases in the NFL. After complaining about the Kansas City Chiefs making the Super Bowl nearly every year, they see the Patriots make their return, in the first year with Mike Vrabel as head coach and Drake Maye as quarterback.
The team has been subject to criticism, mostly due to their path to the big game. The AFC side of the bracket was noticeably weaker than in years past, mostly due to the absences of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow.
One person in the media that has been notably dismissive of the team's path to Super Bowl 60 is former Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, who didn't hold back in comments on his 4th-and-1 podcast.
“I’m looking at your shield, your helmet, and it ain’t got no marks in it,” Newton said, h/t Boston.com. “Your sword don’t got no blood on it, really. I’m looking at the Rams’ sword, I’m looking at the Seattle Seahawks, they’ve got some real character-building games going on the road and figuring it out.”
One former Patriots quarterback let it be known that not everyone has to listen to what Newton has to say. That quarterback is Joe Milton.
Joe Milton shuts down Cam Newton's Patriots criticism leading into Super Bowl 60
During an appearance on WEEI on Super Bowl 60 radio row, Milton was asked about Newton's comments about the Patriots being "fool's gold" due to their "easy" regular season schedule and playoff path. Milton simply said, "I don't listen to nothing Cam says."
"I don't listen to nothing Cam says."@Qbjayy7 explains that he doesn't listen to what former Patriots quarterback @CameronNewton says in the media pic.twitter.com/ChzM9xEzsF
— WEEI (@WEEI) February 3, 2026
Straightforward and to the point, all while shaking his head. Milton does not even entertain what Newton says in the media.
The Patriots, much like any team in their position, face who they match up against. It was no secret that the NFC had a tougher path to the Super Bowl, given the likes of the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers all made the playoffs out of the tough NFC West.
For the Patriots, they faced the Los Angeles Chargers, known for their playoff struggles in the Justin Herbert era. Then then drew a Houston Texans team with a dominant defense but shaky play from C.J. Stroud, and a Denver Broncos team in the AFC Championship Game who watched their starting quarterback Bo Nix break his ankle in the previous round.
Sure, the offense wasn't that impressive in those games, but the defense was downright dominant. The stat sheets weren't pretty, but the most important thing is picking up wins, and they did just that.
The Patriots will face a true test in a Seahawks team that is dominant on both offense and defense (special teams, too, for that matter). If New England can pick up the win, one has to wonder if the critics, like Newton, would be silenced. First things first, the team has to play the game this Sunday.