Patriots game postponed after QB Cam Newton reportedly tests positive for coronavirus

A Patriots player has tested positive for coronavirus, and according to multiple reports, the player is starting quarterback Cam Newton. The Patriots have canceled their Saturday afternoon flight to Kansas City and the NFL has already announced that they will move the team’s game against the Chiefs to Monday or Tuesday.

Right now, the team is waiting to hear back about more test results that players and coaches took on Saturday morning. The team announced that the first round [...]

A Patriots player has tested positive for coronavirus, and according to multiple reports, the player is starting quarterback Cam Newton. The Patriots have canceled their Saturday afternoon flight to Kansas City and the NFL has already announced that they will move the team’s game against the Chiefs to Monday or Tuesday.

Right now, the team is waiting to hear back about more test results that players and coaches took on Saturday morning. The team announced that the first round of tests all came back negative.

The statement read:

"Late last night, we received notice that a Patriots player tested positive for COVID-19. The player immediately entered self-quarantine. Several additional players, coaches and staff who have been in close contact with the player received point of care tests this morning and all were negative for COVID-19.

"We are in close consultation with the NFL, as well as our team of independent doctors and specialists, and will follow their guidance regarding our scheduled trip to Kansas City and game against the Chiefs. The health and safety of our team, as well as our opponent, are of highest priority."

The NFL also issued a statement:

"In consultation with infectious disease experts, both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA to evaluate multiple close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments. All decisions will be made with the health and safety of players, team and gameday personnel as our primary consideration."

According to ESPN, players came to Gillette Stadium for a round of testing on Saturday morning after Newton tested positive on Friday night. Players were then sent home and told to stay by their phones for more information on their travel schedule.

Although the team hasn’t had any more positive results, that doesn’t necessarily mean that more cases won’t pop up. This week, this NFL saw its first outbreak with the Tennessee Titans. The Titans game with Pittsburgh has been postponed after several players and coaches tested positive. Those results, however, have trickled in all week. For example, on Saturday, Tennessee had another player and two more staff members test positive to bring the total to 16 positive tests split between eight players and eight coaches.

The Patriots timeline is similar to Tennessee, who had one player test positive last Friday but had no more positive results. The Titans played against the Minnesota Vikings. By Tuesday, the team saw three more results and eventually, the NFL rescheduled their game that was set for this weekend.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that’ll be case with the Patriots. Last week, the Atlanta Falcons saw A.J. Terrell test positive on Saturday. All others tested negative and the Falcons played the Chicago Bears. Atlanta did not have any other positive results this past week.

Right now, the Patriots and NFL are proceeding with caution. All options are on the table and that includes postponing the game completely.

This marks the first Patriots player to test positive for Covid this year. The league started testing on July 27. The NFL has seen players and coaches test positive dating back to the summer, but the Patriots were one of the few teams to have no positive results.

If the game is played on Sunday, the Patriots will be without a quarterback who has looked like the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. In three games, Newton has completed 68.1% of his passes for 714 yards, two passing touchdowns to go with two interceptions. He also has 149 rushing yards to go with four rushing touchdowns, which leads the NFL.

This news also means the Patriots would start either Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham inside Arrowhead Stadium. This season, Hoyer has been the backup to Newton for all three games while Stidham has been inactive. The Pats also have quarterback Jake Dolegala on their practice squad.