Cam Newton turned some heads when he said the Patriots’ success was “fool’s gold” due to their strength of schedule.
The former Patriots quarterback has been tough on his old team and Drake Maye, noting he doesn’t believe the “sorry scrubs” they’ve faced thus far will only lead them to being one-and-done in the playoffs.
Newton’s ESPN coworker Adam Schefter doesn’t see it that way.
“They’ve already achieved more than I think a lot of people expected them to,” Schefter said during his appearance on WEEI. “Do I think they’re going to win the Super Bowl this year? No, I don’t. But do I think they’re gonna win the division? I do. Do I think they’re gonna host a playoff game? Yes. Are they gonna have a chance to make noise in the postseason? Yeah, they are.”
The Patriots are 9-2 going into their Week 12 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals and have won eight straight games. Statistically, New England does have one of the easiest schedules, but it was never a narrative coach Mike Vrabel bought into.
“I can only coach one team at a time. I don’t make the schedule. Every team beats every (team),” the Patriots coach said on WEEI earlier this month. “That’s just mind-boggling to me, in the National Football League, that there be strength of schedule. You got a salary cap. Everybody spends the same amount of money. So you guys know in this league, that that doesn’t really mean anything.
Vrabel said he won’t use it as motivation for his players, while quarterback Drake Maye said he’s only going to worry about what his teammates think.
The Patriots are atop the AFC East standings and look like the team to beat, along with the Denver Broncos. The 3-7 Bengals will be without star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase as he serves a one-game suspension, and there’s questions about whether quarterback Joe Burrow will return from toe surgery on Sunday.
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