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All of the folks pining for Jarrett Stidham to start against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday might have seen things move one step closer to their desired reality.
The New England Patriots‘ Cam Newton has suffered an abdominal injury, and it kept him limited in Wednesday’s practice.
The question on many fans’ minds is how and when did Newton suffer this injury?
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When Did Newton Suffer the Injury?
At this point, it is unclear when Newton suffered what some are calling an “abdominal ailment,” but the obvious event to consider is the hit he took from the Arizona Cardinals’ Isaiah Simmons on Sunday.
This hit, which was ultimately flagged as late, and cost the Cardinals 15 yards, which set up Nick Folk’s game-winner, sent Newton flying out of bounds.
While this was the last hit Newton took on Sunday, that doesn’t mean this is the spot where the injury was caused.
Newton was sacked three times and hit on four other occasions on Sunday by the Cardinals’ defense. In fact, he was hit by a blitzing Jordan Hicks on his very first passing attempt. The blitz pickup was missed by running back James White, which caused the pressure and contact, and subsequently led to an interception.
One thing to consider is that Newton might have been hurt on that play, and perhaps he played the entire game with an injury to his abdominal area.
There is also the possibility Newton suffered the ailment earlier in the season, and that it has progressed to a point where he needed to have a light day in practice in hopes to recover and be ready for Sunday’s meeting with the Chargers.
His Status on Thursday and Friday are Key
The thing we should be watching is his level of participation on Thursday and Friday. If he’s back as a full participant on Thursday and/or Friday, we can chalk Wednesday’s limited-participation status up to nothing more than a rest day.
If he’s still limited, or even out, the Patriots will likely be strongly considering going with Stidham in what would be his first start as a pro in a regular-season NFL game.
If Newton is Unavailable on Sunday
If Newton cannot go against the Chargers, Stidham would have his best opportunity to prove he has what it takes to be the Patriots’ quarterback moving forward.
In the opportunities, he’s had, Stidham has shown a live arm and decent mobility, but he has struggled mightily with ball security. Stidham has only thrown 24 passes in the regular season, but four of them have been picked off.
He’s thrown one touchdown pass, and that was a beautifully placed throw in the corner of the end zone to N’Keal Harry in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs. That was the game Newton missed after testing positive for COVID-19.
Brian Hoyer started the game, but he was woeful, was benched, and has to be active for a game since the poor play. All eyes will be on Newton for the rest of the week as we wait to see which QB will lead the charge in L.A.
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