Patriots QB Cam Newton put together an impeccable performance vs. Eagles

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton beat up on the Philadelphia Eagles’ second-team defense during Week 2 of the preseason on Thursday night.

Newton got just one more drive than he did in Week 1. But his three drives were efficient and highly impressive. Newton finished 8 of 9 for 103 yards and one touchdown with a 151.4 quarterback rating. It was a preseason game, so those stats always come with important context. The Eagles were not playing their starting defensive line, safeties or cornerback Darrius Slay. That made life easier for Newton.

Even so, there was so much to like. Newton’s completion percentage (88%) speaks to how well the quarterback was finding his open receivers. He wasn’t just checking down either, even after a week where the Philly defense dubbed Newton the “Checkdown King” during joint practices. It looks like that trash talk came back to burn K’Von Wallace, who was in coverage for Jakobi Meyers’ 28-yard touchdown.

Newton had completions for 28 yards, 23 yards and 18 yards. He wasn’t necessarily pushing the ball deep downfield. But with help from Meyers and Kendrick Bourne, Newton was working the intermediate with horizontal routes.

The most impressive part of Newton’s night was his movement in the pocket to avoid the pass rush. While I’d been looking forward to the quarterback showing off his running abilities — which we don’t really see in non-contact practices — Newton didn’t have to scramble in his three series. He made slight adjustments in the pocket to avoid the pass rush and found open receivers downfield.

He completed passes to four different receivers. His final drive was also his most impressive one, with eight plays for 66 yards and the passing touchdown to Meyer. Even with rookie quarterback Mac Jones doing his best to edge out Newton, the veteran did well to help solidify his claim as QB in New England.

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