What It Means:

Belichick had remained committed to Newton in recent weeks, but he left the door open for a change under center now that the Patriots have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. "We'll go through our normal weekly process and make the decision that we feel is best for the game in everything," Belichick said about choosing a starting quarterback for Week 16 against the Buffalo Bills next Monday night. Newton has thrown 5 touchdown passes in 13 games this season and he's only added 2 rushing touchdowns since Week 10.

Newton is averaging 8.8 FanDuel points over his last two games. His 1.5 touchdown percentage for the season is the fifth-lowest all time by any quarterback with at least 300 attempts and the lowest since Trent Dilfer in 1995. Looking ahead, the Bills are 22nd in FanDuel points allowed per game to the quarterback position this season.