Following his third interception of the day, New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton was pulled amid a lopsided 33-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Newton struggled all game against the 49ers, completing nine of 15 passes for just 98 yards, zero touchdowns, the three interceptions and a 39.7 rating. He was replaced by Jarrett Stidham.
"I have to deliver. I haven't done that." Newton said after the game, via NBC10 Boston's Raul Martinez. "One thing that can't happen is I can't allow myself to feel sorry for myself. I know what the issue is. You just have to attack it and do better."
Newton was intercepted by Jamar Taylor on the Patriots' final drive of the third quarter with the Patriots trailing, 30-6, at the time. Newton subsequently got a pat on the leg from Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Stidham began warming up.
It was Stidham's second appearance this year after coming in to relieve Brian Hoyer is Week 4 when Newton was ruled out and placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Stidham struggled in his second relief appearance, completing 6-of-10 passes for 64 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception and a 39.2 rating.
Belichick told reporters after the game that Newton "absolutely" would remain the starting quarterback despite Sunday's rough outing.
"Just wanted to give Stid a little experience here," Belichick said.
In a footnote on a forgettable afternoon, Newton reached 30,000 career passing yards and became the NFL's first player with 30,000-plus passing yards and 5,000-plus rushing yards, per NFL Research.
However, on this Sunday, Newton's standout Sundays of the past were obviously overlooked by the struggles of the day as the Patriots fell to 2-4 with their third consecutive loss.
