Cam Newton Calls Out Patriots Super Bowl Run

The New England Patriots are once again in the AFC championship game after a seven-year hiatus. And despite traveling to the Denver Broncos this weekend, they are viewed as the favorites - much of that due to Broncos starting quarterback, Bo Nix, being out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.

Despite managing two impressive and comfortable playoff victories at Foxborough, there are still some who remain unconvinced by both the team and quarterback Drake Maye.

And one of those - long-time Maye hater, Cam Newton - came to the forefront again on January 21, when he claimed on his "4th&1" podcast that the Patriots' road to the championship game has been the "easiest in NFL history".

Cam Calls Patriots’ Super Bowl Path a JOKE 😬

New episode out now!

📺: https://t.co/tn8Vx6WpJy pic.twitter.com/BUYXC1rgO6
— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) January 21, 2026

Cam Newton Unimpressed With New England's Playoff Opponents

"The New England Patriots have had the easiest road to the Super Bowl in NFL history," Newton said. "First off, going into Foxborough, the first team that you play, the Los Angeles Chargers - bottom tier team. Not a team expected to have a deep playoff push. Justin Herbert isn't who we thought Justin Herbert was. He don't got nobody protecting him, I was praying for him.

"And they played another team that came into Foxborough that was deficient skillfully - Houston Texans. Nico Collins, out. That was not the best version of that team. CJ Stroud throwing four interceptions, having a passer rating that was conducive to him just taking a step back and spking the ball.

"Now you play a Denver Broncos team that really is deficient too. You are going up against the second-string quarterback in Jarrett Stidham. Their opponents have been deficient."

When asked if he thought Patriots were still "fool's gold", Newton responded with, "Yes, they ain't played everybody's best...the New England Patriots are a good team, but the New England Patriots have not also faced anyone that's also good."

Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws in the third quarter against the Houston Texans in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Cam Newton Continues Year-Long Patriots Skepticism

This is not the first time Newton has come out and criticized either New England as a football team or Maye himself, who received second-team All-Pro accolades for his performance in the regular season.

And it may not be the last. But prior to the commencement of the postseason, few people would have argued that Houston and Los Angeles were rollovers to face in a two-game run to championship weekend.

Moreover, this season was probably not even the Patriots' own easiest run in the postseason over the past decade, with the team having obtained a first round bye and subsequently faced the Marcus Mariota-led Tennessee Titans and the Blake Bortles-led Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 playoffs, en route to Super Bowl LII that saw them lose to the Nick Foles-quarterbacked Philadelphia Eagles.

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