NFL: What happened to Cam Newton?

In the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots' 24-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on "Thursday Night Football," Patriots coach Bill Belichick pulled quarterback Cam Newton.

Newton didn't play well on Thursday. He completed nine of 16 passes for just 119 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, which was taken back for a touchdowns by the Rams.

Before Thursday night's game, Cam Newton was questionable due to an abdomen injury that was suffered in Week 9 of the 2020 NFL Season.

This could be the reasoning behind why the veteran quarterback was benched, but a lot of Patriots fans say otherwise.

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Cam Newton's 2020 NFL season

Cam Newton started the 2020 NFL season off like the old Cam Newton that carried the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl. Newton had five total touchdowns in the first two games for the Patriots. Cam Newton rushed for four touchdowns and had one passing touchdown in the first two weeks.

Cam Newton has not been the same football player since missing time due to the coronavirus. Since Week 3 of the 2020 NFL Season, Cam Newton has thrown 8 interceptions and three touchdowns. The New England Patriots quarterback went back-to-back weeks without producing a 100-yard passing game.

Cam Newton recorded a passing efficiency of (-.81 EPA/dropback)That’s the worst passing efficiency performance by a starting QB this season @betthepigskin pic.twitter.com/AjHTid2i6R

— Bets Stats (@betsstats) December 11, 2020

In Week 12, Cam Newton completed 50% of his passes for 84 yards. Newton failed to score a touchdown through the air and on the ground. Cam Newton did throw two interceptions against the Arizona Cardinals. Although the Patriots beat the Cardinals, Newton's performance was not great.

In Week 13, Cam Newton would throw a passing touchdown and rush for two touchdowns. The New England Patriots would beat the Los Angeles Chargers 45-0. The problem was Cam Newtons passing yards, he recorded back-to-back games without passing over 100 yards.

Week 14, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick would pull Cam Newton in the fourth quarter. Cam Newton threw for 119 yards and rushed for 16 yards, but threw a costly interception that was returned for a Rams touchdown. The struggles for Newton continued in Week 14.

In the 2020 NFL Season, Cam Newton has passed for 2,172 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Where Newton has made his money is on the ground. The Patriots' quarterback has rushed 113 times for 451 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

After all the workout videos posted in the offseason and after the hot start to the 2020 NFL Season, Newton seems to be back to his old ways. Carolina moved off the quarterback because his performance was declining. If there is one coach that will not put up with Newton declining its Bill Belichick.

Bill Belichick went to the post game conference after Week 14's game against the Los Angeles Rams to tell everyone that Cam Newton was still the starter. This is because Belichick does not have enough confidence in Jared Stidham. Belichick has something up his sleeve because he is not the coach to let a player stay on his team if he's declining in performance.

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Injuries have hindered Cam Newton

In Week 3 of the 2020 NFL Season, Cam Newton had to miss time because of the coronavirus. Newton would not return to the Patriots lineup until October 12th and would start against the Denver Broncos. This may not be an injury from football but it impacted Cam Newtons 2020 NFL Season.

In Week 11 of the 2020 NFL Season, Cam Newton would appear on the New England Patriots injury report. He was questionable for the game against the Arizona Cardinals. The injury report read that Newton was questionable because of his abdomen.

How much the abdomen impacting Cam Newton's play?Newton: "None."Is he dealing with pain?Newton: "It's not for me to talk about those types of things."

— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) December 11, 2020

Newton would appear on the injury report for both Week 13 and Week 14. The injury report again read about the abdomen injury. Cam Newton has dismissed anything and everything about being in pain. He has dismissed that his abdomen has anything to do with his struggles. It has been noted that Cam Newton is in more pain than he is saying.

His abdomen injury could have a big role in why he is not throwing the football well. Newton is known to play through injury and to not share a lot of information with the press. Whether Cam Newton is in pain or not in pain, he is not going to let it out. Especially beings he is trying to revamp his career and is trying to stay on an NFL roster.