Chiefs' Defense Preparing for Another Dual-Threat QB in Patriots' Cam Newton

A little bit of deja vu may occur for the Kansas City Chiefs' defense when they face the New England Patriots on Sunday.

In Week 3, the Chiefs shut down dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson. Now, they're preparing for Cam Newton — the No. 2 all-time quarterback in terms of career rushing yards.

Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill said he's noticed a few comparisons between the two through preparation for the contest, but noted mobility is something he and his teammates have prepared for each week this season.

“Realistically, they’re pretty much the same guy,” Thornhill said. “I see it as we’ve had four games in a row where we have a mobile quarterback pretty much [Texans' Deshaun Watson, Chargers' Tyrod Taylor in preparation, Chargers' Justin Herbert in-game, and Jackson]. I mean the Chargers', he was pretty mobile as well, but these guys are all great and athletic, so it’s pretty much going to be doing the same things that we’ve been doing. Hopefully, we come out with the win.”

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— Devon Clements (@DevclemNFL) September 29, 2020

The Patriots lead the NFL in rushing, averaging 231 yards per game. They are ranked No. 8 in total offense, accumulating around 419 yards per game behind the play-calling of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

“They do a heck of a job on the offensive side,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “They’ve got a great coordinator who has been doing it a long time and done it a bunch of different ways, and they’ve had good players — Cam being in a role there that he has fully accepted and I think he’s enjoying, so he’s doing a great job."

Reid added he anticipates the Patriots will bring a mixed offense to Arrowhead Stadium, anchored by Newton’s flexibility.

The former Carolina Panther has run the ball on 22% of his snaps this season, accumulating 149 yards and four touchdowns. He has ran for 4,928 yards through his 10-year career, the second-best rushing total by a quarterback in NFL history.

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— Patriots Country (@PatsCountryFN) September 27, 2020

“You throw a quarterback in there that can run it and is willing to run it like they certainly are with him back there, it’s always going to put a stress on the defense," Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. "If you add another player to just stop the run, he’s a good enough quarterback to throw it out there, Josh [McDaniels] is smart enough to recognize that, and they’ve got talent on the outside with a couple of receivers that can hurt you... Hopefully we can get it in a situation where — you want to get it one-dimensional, right?"

Through the air, Newton’s completed 62-of-91 passes, averaging 7.8 yards per completion and 287.7 yards per game. He’s thrown two touchdowns, two interceptions and has been sacked five times for a loss of 21 yards.

In a 36-20 win over the Raiders last week, Newton made 17-of-28 passes for 162 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Running back Sony Michael almost matched Newton's passing total, rushing for 117 yards on nine carries.

Thornhill said he expects a tough battle going in with Newton’s versatile skills, and the Patriots' ability to move the ball in ways other than simply passing.

“Cam, he's a heck of a quarterback, he's a heck of an athlete,” Thornhill said. “Going against these guys, they're very fundamentally sound, so it's definitely going to be a good game on our end.”

Do you think the Chiefs can contain Cam Newton in a fashion similar to their effort of shutting down Lamar Jackson last week? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

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