Report: Hoyer expected to be Newton's fill-in over Stidham

The New England Patriots are expected to start Brian Hoyer at quarterback over Jarrett Stidham when they face the Kansas City Chiefs without Cam Newton, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Newton won't be available for the contest - which the NFL is working to reschedule for Monday or Tuesday - after testing positive for COVID-19.

Hoyer served as Newton's backup for the first three games of the season, while Stidham was inactive. He has 38 career starts, but none for the Patriots. The 34-year-old owns a 16-22 record as a starter.

In 69 career appearances, Hoyer has completed 59.1% of his throws and posted a passer rating of 82.5.

Stidham, a fourth-round pick in 2019, was touted as the likely successor to Tom Brady for most of the offseason until Newton signed a one-year deal in July.