The 2002 season was the last time New England failed to reach at least 10 wins.

The Patriots dropped to a losing record in October for the first time since 2002, but quarterback Cam Newton isn’t sounding the alarm.

“There’s no need to press the panic button. There’s no need to start reinventing the wheel. We have the answers in that locker room,” Newton told WEEI in his Monday morning radio appearance.

Following the Patriots’ 18–12 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, the team’s 2–3 mark breaks their NFL record for playing 225 straight games in October or later without falling below .500. The 2002 season was the last time New England failed to reach at least 10 wins. 

The team had only two practices in over two weeks because of their positive COVID-19 tests. Sunday’s game marked the return for Newton, who had not played since Week 3 after he contracted COVID-19. In his first