Patriots’ signing of Cam Newton shakes up AFC race ... just not at the top
You’ve got to give credit to coach Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
The timing of the Patriots signing free-agent quarterback Cam Newton was spot-on perfect. It came just before news broke Sunday night that the NFL was punishing the Patriots for its television crew filming a Bengals-Browns game in December.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported the Patriots were stripped of a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, fined $1.1 million and its television production crew can’t shoot any games in 2020.
Additionally, and this may be the funniest part of all, “senior club officials will have required training on league operation and game policies.” That should take care of any future issues, right?
That punishment was overshadowed by Newton’s signing.
Newton, 31, was the 2015 NFL MVP and helped the Carolina Panthers advance to Super Bowl 50. His signing a one-year deal with the Patriots gave New England’s Super Bowl chances a bit of a boost:
New England’s improved odds still put them behind the Chiefs (5-1) and Baltimore Ravens (6-1) at the Action Network.
The Chiefs also are still the big favorite at Caeser’s Palace:
A week ago, Odds Shark had the Chiefs as 15-2 favorites to win Super Bowl LV and the Ravens were at 8-1, while the Bills, Colts and Patriots were all a 25-1 shot. While odds for the Chiefs and Ravens didn’t change, New England got a boost:
Allen Bell of CBS SportsLine tweeted numbers that showed the Patriots now have a much better chance of winning the AFC East and making the playoffs. But New England’s chances of being AFC champions slightly improved:
So it seems Newton’s addition gives the Patriots a better chance of winning another AFC East title, but the conference race is still between the Super Bowl champion Chiefs and the Ravens, who had the best record in the NFL a year ago.
At least that’s how the oddsmakers see it.
