Cam Newton hopes the Patriots' 30-27 win Monday night over the Jets can kick-start their season.
Nick Folk drilled a 51-yard field goal as time expired at MetLife Stadium, capping a 13-point Patriots rally in the fourth quarter to condemn the Jets to their worst-ever start at 0-9.
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Newton helped the Patriots (3-5) end a four-game losing streak, although three of New England's five losses have come by single digits. He completed 27 of 35 passes for 274 yards and also rushed for two touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to get to eight rushing TDs in his first seven games played in a season.
"It's been a long last couple of games and the last month, but this can kick-start right where we want to be," the 2015 NFL MVP told ESPN. "We just showed resiliency today and I'm just so happy for those guys in that locker room that keep just battling back.
"It wasn't pretty, but it was a win."
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The Patriots' win was their ninth straight over the Jets. New England inched closer behind the Bills (7-2) and Dolphins (5-3) in the AFC East.
Newton was happy to see the Patriots, who face the Ravens on Sunday night, return to their winning ways.
"Just won, that's it, we just won. I'm just happy for that," he said. "We've been practicing our tails off, and just to see hard work pay off, it's just a great feeling. I haven't felt this in a long time so it's good."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick tried to parry a question about whether the win would serve as a confidence booster.
"We've just got to keep working, just take it one week at a time," he said. "I don't think the team lacks confidence. We just have to coach better, play better, just keep working and keep grinding, (and I) think we'll have better results."
New England managed to win despite a strong performance by Jets quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns in place of injured starter Sam Darnold. Flacco also passed Joe Montana for 20th place on the NFL's all-time passing yardage list.
Material from NFL Network was included in this report.