October 25, 2020 | 7:19 PM
The struggles of Patriots quarterback Cam Newton in the 33-6 loss to the 49ers on Sunday typified the team’s collectively poor showing.
While the Patriots’ offense was unable to consistently move the ball or avoid turnovers, the defense surrendered more first half yards than any previous Bill Belichick team during his entire New England tenure.
Still, Newton — who has shouldered blame for the team’s underachievement in prior weeks — was a central target for criticism.
Former Patriots safety Lawyer Milloy, who helped New England win Super Bowl XXXVI, voiced his frustration with Newton (who was replaced in the second half by Jarrett Stidham).
“I miss good QB play,” said Milloy.
.@Patriots I miss good QB play 🤷🏾♂️. Anyone else. #Patriots #PatriotsNation #pats
— Lawyer Milloy (@LawyerMilloy) October 25, 2020
After Stidham came into the game, he threw an interception of his own as the Patriots’ offense continued to struggle against the 49ers.
Milloy also went a step farther and compared Newton with Tom Brady, whose clock management the former safety noted was always efficient.
.@Patriots first drive after halftime by offense and defense will let us know if we have a shot. Time management is what #TB12 was so good at and always gave us a chance. I don’t know if Cam has it
— Lawyer Milloy (@LawyerMilloy) October 25, 2020
During his Patriots tenure, Milloy played with Brady during the first three years of the now-Buccaneers quarterback’s career.
Milloy’s final season in New England was 2002, which is also the last time the Patriots suffered a three-game losing streak.
As for the team’s chances of bouncing back, Milloy — who was a part of the 2001 Patriots Super Bowl-winning team that began its season 1-3 — appeared to cast doubt on New England’s 2020 prospects.
Uh OK https://t.co/llsgodc1vy
— Lawyer Milloy (@LawyerMilloy) October 25, 2020
Get Boston.com’s browser alerts:
Enable breaking news notifications straight to your internet browser.
