Not good. Not good at all.
Patriots starting quarterback Cam Newton has tested positive for COVID-19 and is out for Week 4, and likely longer. There are two ways to see how this absolutely sucks, from a player health and safety standpoint, and from a gameplan standpoint.
From a health and safety standpoint, this is catastrophic. A starting quarterback is the number one person on your roster who cannot contract the virus. The quarterback is in the huddle talking, the quarterback touches the ball on almost every snap, the quarterback is the most important player on the field.
From a gameplan standpoint, the team has practiced all week with Newton as the starter. The Patriots and OC Josh McDaniels rebuilt this offense around Newton and his skill set, now that is all out the window for Week 4, just over 24 hours before their 4:25 PM matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. They don’t really have a guy similar to Newton’s skill set on the roster, so they have to adjust their game plan accordingly, and time is of the essence.
It’s still TBD on who’s the starter in place of Newton, with Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham the other QBs on the roster. It’s been rare for the Pats to keep three quarterbacks, but with the world we are currently living in, they kept three and they’re in better shape than they could’ve been. Hoyer has been the gameday backup to Newton with Stidham a weekly healthy scratch. The initial reaction is that Hoyer will be the starter, but based on the skillset Newton has and the likely gameplan they had with Newton running, I think they’ll go Stidham, a young more athletic player than the 34 year old Hoyer.
This sucks, this really really sucks. The Tennessee Titans have an outbreak that just saw three positive cases (1 player, 2 personel) and it’s only going to get worse. The good news is no Minnesota Vikings players have tested positive after playing the Titans last week, so hopefully that’s a sign cross-team spread isn’t a high factor.
As of now, there are no more positive cases in New England, but if Newton is the first, he may not be the last. The virus can take up to seven days to manifest and reveal a positive test result, so even though players are testing negative now, they are far from being in the clear.
Who knows if the Patriots even play the Chiefs tomorrow, but honestly, containing a deadly virus is more important than a football game, and that’s coming from a football nerd.
Do not underestimate this virus. Cases are rising rapidly over the past few weeks and are only going to rise. Wear a mask, social distance, and stay inside. There’s always next year to pick apples and drink apple cider.
Football Nerds 