Although the Commanders have had several talented defensive tackles in the past decade, few of them had a day similar to the performance Newton put on against the Cowboys. It was the first multi-sack game of his career, and he became the first player in franchise history to record at least 3.0 sacks in a single game since Preston Smith in Week 16 of 2015. His five quarterback hits were the most in a single game since Ryan Kerrigan (5) in Week 6 of the 2016 season.
Head coach Dan Quinn knew Newton was capable of such a performance; after all, he was one of the most decorated pass-rushers in program history at Illinois, which is part of what enticed the Commanders to draft him in the second round. But he was pleased to see Newton, who has worked hard to get more playing time, put everything together.
“When you do that as a ball player, the game slows down because now you can anticipate a little better,” Quinn said.
Newton knew he was going to get more snaps than he had all season heading into the Christmas matchup. He played in 60.9% of the defensive snaps — a season-high — and he didn’t want to waste them. Prior to the game, he got some advice from veteran wide receiver Robbie Chosen, who told him that attitude needs to remain consistent in everything from practice to meetings.
“I feel like that stuck with me since last night,” Newton said. “I got a brother who would kill to be in this position. So that stuck with me all day. And I was like — since the morning – I was like, man, I just got to go in there and ball out, because I know my brother would do the same if he had the opportunity.”