For the second time this season, Cam Newton was benched for poor play.
Newton was pulled in favor of Jarrett Stidham early in the fourth quarter Thursday night against the Rams with the Patriots trailing 24-3 (the eventual final score).
The veteran finished 9-for-16 passing with 119 yards and an interception. It was a pick-6 in the red zone early in the second quarter on a screen play intended for Damien Harris that really changed the game.
New England, trailing 10-0 at the time, had just picked off Jared Goff and was in prime position to get back in the game, which made the interception even more frustrating.
While Stidham replaced Newton in the final quarter, it doesn't appear to be permanent.
"Great question. Really glad you asked that. Cam's our quarterback," Bill Belichick said after the game when asked about the quarterback position moving forward.
Why Newton and not Stidham?
"He's our quarterback. I think I just answered that one," Belichick said.
The Patriots are currently 6-7 and have only a four percent chance of making the postseason, according to FiveThirtyEight.
It would seem at some point over the final three weeks Stidham will be given the chance to start, but it just doesn't look like it will be net week in Miami.