The Patriots improved to an NFL-best 9-2 on the season with a 27–14 win over the Jets on Thursday night. It was New England's eighth straight victory, as the franchise has continued its ascent as one of the league's best teams this season under new coach Mike Vrabel.
Former Patriots quarterback Cam Newton needs to see more out of the Patriots to make him a believer, though. In fact, Newton went so far as to call the team's success this season "fool's gold" due to the schedule that they've played, which is among the league's easiest.
"It has fool's gold written all over it," Newton said Friday on ESPN's First Take. "...Middle of the mall. And yes, is Drake Maye playing good football? Absolutely. I would like to attest his great play to one specific person that I know too well, Josh McDaniels. Now Josh McDaniels may not be a great head coach, but he is a brilliant offensive mind. ...The thing I have a problem with is if you keep playing sorry scrubs, then you're going to have this falsetto of a mentality going into the playoffs. And it has one-and-done written all over it. Give me the Indianapolis Colts."
While Newton is right about the schedule, the Patriots can only play who is in front of them. They continue to win, and that's a testament to the improved roster from a year ago, as well as the new coaching staff put together by Vrabel.
New England will work to make a believer out of Newton and the rest of their doubters as it continues on in their schedule.
The Patriots take the field again on Nov. 23 against the Bengals.
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