Buffalo Bills: How the Patriots signing Cam Newton changes AFC East
With the New England Patriots making a big splash signing Cam Newton, the Buffalo Bills’ path to winning the AFC East just got tougher.
Just when the Buffalo Bills thought they were getting a clear window as the favorites to win the AFC East, Bill Belichick reminded us what he is capable of.
After losing Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it looked like a tough road for the Patriots to continue their dominance; that was until reports came out that Cam Newton was signing in Foxborough on a one-year deal. It comes as a bit of a shock after it seemed like New England was prepared to go with Jarrett Stidham as their starter.
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Instead, they are adding the 2015 NFL MVP who fell out of favour with the Carolina Panthers and never found a home until now. Unfortunately for the Bills, this means whatever window of hope they had as favourites in the AFC East, just got smaller.
It is way too early to pencil in the Patriots over the Bills, but they have certainly put themselves back in the conversation. What can’t be forgotten however is what the Bills were able to add and what New England lost during the off-season.
Buffalo made it a point to add some offensive weapons around Josh Allen and any steps forward the team expects to make will have to come from him. It also can’t be understated how good the Bills’ defense is and how tough they will try to make life for Newton.
If you want any idea, look no farther than how the Denver Broncos put Newton in his place in Super Bowl 50 and since then he hasn’t been the same. The Carolina Panthers seemed to think it wasn’t worth keeping Newton around, which can’t be overlooked.
Fortunately for the Bills, head coach Sean McDermott has some familiarity with Newton considering he was the defensive coordinator for the Panthers from 2011 to 2016. That should give the team an idea of how to prepare to go up against Newton.
So while this news doesn’t exactly look great at the moment for the Bills’ chances to be the clear cut winners in the AFC East, don’t expect them to step aside either.
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What are your thoughts on the Patriots signing Newton? How does this impact the Buffalo Bills’ chances going into this season? Let us know in the comments below.