Cam Newton has played two total games with the New England Patriots, and it seems the NFL has already dubbed him the comeback player of the year. Despite just a 1–1 record in a relatively small sample size, Newton is really starting to convince doubters that Super Cam is officially back.

In Newton’s first game as a Patriot, it seemed Bill Belichick really wanted to set up a game plan that could get Newton’s swagger back after having two injury plagued seasons with the Carolina Panthers. Newton threw for just 155 yards, but the more impressive stat is that he rushed for 75 yards while also rushing for two touchdowns. Granted, this all happened against a Miami Dolphins team who have looked like they have shown little improvement from last season, so it would take a lot more from Newton to show that he can lead this team to the top of the AFC East. Newton would go on to show that he can do exactly that in the following game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Despite the loss, Newton had a terrific showing in week two against the Seahawks. Newton threw for 397 yards with a touchdown pass, while also rushing for 47 yards with a rushing touchdown. All the while, he was almost leading the Pats to a fourth-quarter comeback against the Seahawks, one of the top teams in the NFL with an MVP caliber quarterback in Russell Wilson.

So has Newton returned to elite status?

Some people could argue that the last season where Newton was considered a top-tier NFL quarterback was back when he won MVP in 2015. So let’s take a look at Newton’s MVP season and compare it to what we have seen from him thus far through two games.

First off, Newton has already outplayed himself this season compared to 2015. In his first two games in 2015 Newton threw for a total of 370 yards and rushed for 111 rushing yards. Compare that to this year, Newton has thrown for 552 yards and rushed for 122 total yards. In 2015 Newton had thrown two interceptions through the first two games whereas he only has one through the first two games this season. I am not saying that he is going to maintain this level of play throughout the whole season, but if by some chance he does, I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets some consideration as MVP.

Obviously there is a long way to go in the season and we shouldn’t judge a player based on just two games. Then again, Newton is a player who has been MVP of the league in the past so maybe for him this could be just a sign of things to come for New England.

Things aren’t going to get much easier for Newton and the Patriots, as they have one of toughest schedules in the entire NFL. So, Newton is going to be put to the test, as he will have to face teams like the Baltimore Ravens, as well as the defending champions of the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs. If the Seahawks weren’t enough those two teams will definitely give the Patriots offense a run for their money this season. If we can see the same Newton all season as we saw in the first two games, New England shouldn’t have a problem winning the AFC East and Newton will definitely regain his elite status.