Patriots' Cam Newton on 'Unacceptable' Fumble: 'I've Got to Protect the Ball'

Cam Newton lamented his costly fumble in the New England Patriots' 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

"It's unacceptable," Newton told reporters after the game Sunday. "I've got to protect the ball."

The Patriots were in great position to at least get a game-tying field goal before Newton coughed it up inside the final minute.

The turnover capped off another underwhelming performance from the three-time Pro Bowler. He finished 15-of-25 for 174 yards through the air while running for 54 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.

Through two games, it looked like Bill Belichick had once again gotten one over on the rest of the NFL. Newton had thrown for 552 yards, one touchdown and one interception and also run for 122 yards and four scores.

Since then, his fortunes have gone in the opposite direction.

Jarrett Stidham came on for Newton to wrap up a 33-6 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, though Belichick downplayed any notion he was considering a quarterback change. His sentiment remained the same Sunday.

New England is now 2-5 and reaching a point when the team might as well slide Stidham into the starting spot to see what it has in the 2019 fourth-round draft pick.

It would be one thing if Newton were playing well in what's becoming a lost season, thus providing the franchise with some confidence in him going forward. That isn't happening, raising questions about his future with the Patriots when his contract expires in the offseason.