Cam Newton: We want to keep transcending upwardly

[Poe the Raven]

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The Patriots faced the Ravens on a Sunday night in Week 9 of the 2019 season and their loss opened up a 4-4 second half that foreshadowed their early exit from the playoffs.

This year’s Sunday night game between the teams took place in Week 10 and the result was a better one for the Patriots. They avoided turnovers on offense on a stormy night, turned in a steady defensive effort, and walked out as 23-17 winners. It was their second win in a row and the outing led to a question for quarterback Cam Newton about whether it marked a similar turning point for this season.

“Not going to necessarily say it’s a turning point,” Newton said. “We just want to keep getting better each and every week and I think we have been showing that, finding different ways to win, establishing our dominance in the running game, and trying to stop the run as well. Those are all keys to victory for us. And as this season keeps going, we just want to keep transcending upwardly in a way that our team is getting better week by week. We have a lot of young players that have big roles for us and especially myself, learning new things in this offense and getting comfortable. All in all, we just got to keep the ball moving forward and staying focused throughout it all.”

At 4-5, the Patriots have plenty of work to do if they are going to wind up in the playoffs. Getting that work done seems more plausible after the last two weeks, which may not mark a turning point but it does offer renewed hope for a season that felt like it was slipping away in New England.