One day after the New England Patriots were officially eliminated from playoff contention thanks to a 22-12 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the team’s quarterback addressed its fans. Cam Newton took to social media to share his thoughts on the season thus far and the challenge still ahead for both the team and himself:
Dear Patriots Nation. I will be the first to tell you that this year has been unacceptable in more ways than one !! And the standard has been and always will be set; and unfortunately we (I) did not live up to what that standard was at all times or consistently enough !! With that being said the answers are in the locker room and one thing I do know about this bunch is that this locker room is filled with guys who want to be a part of the solution including me !! All things considered, you will not see any finger pointing or excuse making but more accountability being placed on the guys (me) to get the job done !! I think I speak for myself and others when I say CHALLENGE ACCEPTED !!
While Newton certainly had some positive moments during what has been a challenging season, the bottom line remains: New England’s new quarterback has not been able to lead the team to the postseason — the first time since 2008 that it has failed to qualify for the tournament.
The Patriots will get two more chances to close the season in style and get back to .500, going up against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets to close out the regular season. Whether or not Newton will be the starting quarterback for those two games remains to be seen, however.