Remember when Cam Newton led the NFL in jersey sales earlier this season? Yeah, that was an actual thing that happened.
After being second behind Tom Brady in Week 1, Newton passed his Patriots predecessor in Week 2 as New England fans bought into the early season excitement around Newton's performances against Miami and Seattle.
Needless to say, that excitement didn't last. A cool graphic posted by Fanatics on Friday illustrates the rollercoaster ride Newton's jersey sales went on over the course of the season.
By Week 4, when Newton tested positive for COVID-19, he had dropped out of the top five. By Week 5, when the Patriots' COVID outbreak forced a game to be postponed a week, he was out of the top 10.
Newton briefly reappears in Week 6 upon his return to the field, rising up to sixth, but then drops off the radar for the rest of the season, coinciding with his subpar play and the slow realization that the Patriots would not be a playoff team.
Brady, meanwhile, spent most of the rest of the season occupying one of the top two spots along with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, minus a brief one-week charge to the top by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Week 10.
Watch the whole season play out in the graphic below: