Patriots

Newton started Thursday's preseason game, but Mac Jones received an ovation when he entered the game.

Cam Newton started Thursday's preseason game against the Washington Football Game. AP Photo/Elise Amendola

It’s no secret that Cam Newton’s batting for his starting quarterback job in New England. In his latest Instagram post, Newton might have acknowledged that reality.

“I’m far from perfect….but loyalty, I deserve it,” Newton wrote in an Instagram post on Friday with images that appeared to have been taken prior to Thursday’s preseason game.

Of course, the Instagram post could be about anything other than football, but it could also be a message on how he feels about his situation with the Patriots.

Newton did get the start in Thursday’s game against the Washington Football Team, playing the Patriots’ first two drives. He was swapped out late in the first quarter for rookie first-round pick Mac Jones. When Jones entered the game, he received an ovation that lasted several seconds from Patriots fans at Gillette Stadium.

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While Newton didn’t play poorly in his time in Friday’s game (he completed 4 of 7 passes for 49 yards and led the Patriots to a field goal on his second drive), much of the postgame reaction was focused on when Jones will replace Newton as the starter.

Jones played through the end of the third quarter, completing 13 of 19 passes for 87 yards, leading the Patriots to two field goal drives in his first preseason game.

Newton shared that Jones approached him to talk about his expectations prior to Thursday’s game.

“Every young quarterback goes through it — the excitement, the anticipation. He wants to be so perfect, and I see his preparation is always pristine,” Newton told reporters following Thursday’s game.

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“That’s what I admire about him,” Newton added, “being at such a young age he knows how to prepare and knows when Josh asks quick questions or when a person asks quick questions he knows how to kind of have answers for it.”

Newton also said that he believed the competition will make both players better.

“For him and today’s performance, he’s just going to keep getting better, and we’re going to be here for each other along this whole process, and that’s what we’re here for,” Newton said.

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The Patriots take the field for preseason game No. 2 on Thursday against the Eagles.