FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has a sore neck after getting drilled on a sack by New York Jets safety Ashtyn Davis in the second quarter of Monday night’s 30-27 win.
“My neck is only working on a degree angle that shuts off the degrees to one side. So my eye muscles are getting a lot of work in today,” Newton said Tuesday morning in his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI.
Newton had stayed in the game after the crunching hit, for which Davis was penalized for unnecessary roughness, which appeared to be a questionable call.
In the radio interview, Newton said he made a mistake on the play, as he held on to the football too long. He relayed a conversation he had on the sideline with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“I was like, ‘That’s my fault and I deserved it.’ But hey, it got us 15 yards, so shoot, it’s just the price you have to pay,” Newton said with a laugh.
Newton played one of his best games of the season Monday, finishing 27-of-35 for 274 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed his first 11 passes. In addition, he added 10 rushes for 16 yards and two touchdowns, upping his season total to eight rushing touchdowns — his most in a single season since 2015, when he had 10.
But perhaps most importantly, it was the first game of the season in which the Patriots didn’t commit a turnover, which helped them end a four-game losing streak.
The Patriots overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit against the winless Jets. It marked just the second time in Newton’s career that he won when his team trailed by at least 10 points in the fourth quarter. He was 1-38 in those situations entering Monday night.
Clinging to long-shot playoff hopes, the Patriots (3-5) host reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) on Sunday night (8:20 ET, NBC).
“We just have to keep building, and for us, to know that we’re in a position that the world will be watching one more time,” Newton said in the radio interview. “We have a great opportunity to get another one. That’s what we’re on the chase for.”
