Patriots' Cam Newton: 'I'm Not Going to Apologize for Winning' Amid Struggles

The New England Patriots won Sunday despite a mediocre showing from quarterback Cam Newton, but the veteran doesn't seem to mind.

"I'll be the first person to say I didn't play my best game yesterday. But let's be totally clear: I don't play this game for statistic benefits. I don't play this game for any type of individual accolades. I play this game to win. I'm not going to apologize for winning," Newton told WEEI Monday (via Mike Reiss of ESPN).

Newton had just 84 passing yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns in the Week 12 game, but the Patriots still pulled out a 20-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Though the passing yards were a season low, it was the Patriots' fourth win this season where Newton failed to top 200 yards through the air.

The quarterback has just four touchdown passes and nine interceptions this year, while his 198.4 passing yards per game would be a career low.

Most of Newton's contributions this year have been with the run game, scoring nine rushing touchdowns in his 10 games. He has helped the Patriots rank fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game.

The Patriots have managed to stay in the playoff hunt at 5-6 despite a difficult schedule. They have four wins against teams that currently have winning record, tied for the most in the NFL, per Mike Sando of The Athletic.

Road games against first-place foes like the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills also contributed to the poor record.

Considering the tough path to the playoffs, Newton will take the win regardless of what his numbers look like in the box score.

"I've had games where quarterback rating, statistics and everything, effort and all that, amounted to a loss," he said Monday. "And I've had games like yesterday where you did everything to try to lose and you still win by the grace of God."

New England will try to keep the momentum in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers.