Getty Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins attempts to block a Kansas City Chiefs pass rusher.
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has been criticized for his play endlessly this season and as the end of the regular season approaches, and the Patriots have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, questions swirled around whether or not Newton would start.
Bill Belichick shut down those questions earlier this week and now Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins knows the Bills can’t underestimate the talented quarterback.
“He’s going to come to compete and to win,” Dawkins said during a video conference call on Saturday. “He’s had a championship fire in him for a long time and Cam is going to come in here and try to win. He’s going to come in here and try to do everything possible to win.”
In 13 games this season, Newton has led the Patriots to a 6-7 record in games that he has started this season and the Patriots are 6-8 overall. Newton has thrown for 2,381 yards and five touchdowns this season. He’s also rushed for 489 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Although he’s shown signs of his former self this season, Newton has been inconsistent on several occasions. He’s passed for under 100 yards three times this season and he’s also thrown multiple interceptions in three games. The Bills and the Patriots faced off earlier this season and Newton was an effective game manager in the 24-21 loss.
Newton threw for 174 yards and no touchdowns but also ran for 54 yards and one touchdown. He did cough up a fumble on the last drive of the game that the Bills recovered and allowed them to secure the victory, which was their first since 2016.
With a win on Monday Night Football, the Bills could sweep the Patriots for the first time since 1999.
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Mario Addison Looking Forward to Sacking Former Teammate
When the two teams met earlier this season, former Carolina Panthers defensive end Mario Addison was looking forward to getting an opportunity to track down his former teammate, Cam Newton.
During their time in Carolina, Addison got to see Newton plenty as they played on opposite sides of the ball. The first time around this season, Addison wasn’t able to get to Newtown the first time around, but he’s ready for New England’s game plan this time around.
“I would like to sack Cam, last time we played them they had a crazy chip plan, and this time we are prepared for it,” Addison said during a video conference call on Saturday. “So I’m really looking forward to getting Cam on the ground a few times.”
Addison has tallied five sacks so far this season and has also recorded 27 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, and eight quarterback hits. He’s also deflected four passes.
Bills Defense is Getting Stronger
As the season has gone on, Addison and the Bills defense has gotten stronger. They allowed at least 23 points and 330 total yards in five of their first six games as the team jumped off to a 4-2 start.
But as the season has carried on the defense has started to get back to how they played last year. In the past four games, the Bills have only allowed one team to rush for 100 yards or more and they’ve also forced at least one turnover in the past nine games. They forced a season-high four turnovers against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9.
“We thrive on taking the ball away and getting it back to our offense, that’s the name of the game,” Addison said.
As the Bills head into the postseason in the next two weeks, the play of their defense will be crucial to how far they go in the playoffs.
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