Bench Mac Jones? NFL Insider Predicts Big Changes for New England Patriots Offense
FOXBORO — To paraphrase the immortal words of rocker Billy Idol, it is a not-so-nice day for the New England Patriots to "start again."
In the wake of consecutive blowout losses to the Dallas Cowboys (38-3 in Week 4) and the New Orleans Saints (34-0 in Week 5), Patriots coach Bill Belichick has vowed to "start all over and get back on a better track than we [Patriots] are on right now."
Unsurprisingly, the 71-year-old remains typically cryptic regarding the nature of the necessary changes to be made by both the players and the coaching staff. However, one NFL insider believes that New England's offense may be in for a 'quick change-style' makeover before their Week 6 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
"I think everyone across the league looks at it and says, 'Well, they're going to be doing 'something,' said ESPN's Adam Schefter during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. "But. what is it that they're going to be doing? Because Bill Belichick is coming off maybe the two worst losses of his career in back-to-back weeks. The offense has been inept. It has not gotten the job done."
The Pats managed to muster only 156 total yards of offense against the Saints, with only 45 coming from their running game. New England converted only 1 of 14 third-down attempts, while averaging an anemic 3.1 yards-per-play. Needless to say, the "HC of the NEP" was less than pleased with the unit's final output.
"Obviously it was a poor performance," Belichick told reporters shortly after the game's conclusion. "Plain and simple, we've got to find a way to play and coach better than that. I think there’s a lot of things we need to do better offensively, and everybody’s a part of it – coaches, players, every position. I don’t think it’s limited to one position, one group. Collectively, we have to perform better."
Bill Belichick, Mac Jones
Despite their collectively futile offensive effort, many have speculated that the "something" on offense to which Schefter previously referred will involve a change at the quarterback position. Starter Mac Jones completed only 12 of 22 pass attempts for 110 yards with two interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown) before being relegated to the bench for the second straight week. Jones was replaced by Bailey Zappe just over 13 minutes remaining in the game. In four drives, Zappe completed only three of nine passes for 22 yards in relief duty, leading the Pats to two three-and-outs and two failed fourth-down conversations.
Still, Jones' future understandably remains the story of the afternoon. The Alabama product's dismal 30.5 quarterback rating has fans and media wondering not only if a change is in the team's best interest, but also necessary at this point. Yet, when asked whether Jones was still New England's primary option at the position, Belichick tersely. but affirmatively responded:
“Yeah. There was a lot of problems. It certainly wasn’t all on him.”
In spite of Belichick's tepid vote of confidence, Schefter insinuated that nothing may be off the table when determining the team's needed improvements -- including a switch at quarterback.
"You know that they're not going to stand pat ... they're going to be doing something," Schefter said. "So the question is, what is that? "What Bill has said, is Bill has said, that he's sticking with Mac. That he's the one ... he's standing behind the quarterback for now. We've heard other head coaches say similar things before only to go a different route during the week. So, let's see where that goes.
"But, I think it's fair to say that when they play the Las Vegas Raiders this week, that the offense isn't going to look the same. What that means, we'll find out as the week evolves."
After a day off on Monday, the Patriots players and coaches will return to Gillette Stadium on Tuesday for player meetings and film study as they begin preparations for Sunday's matchup with the Raiders at 4:05 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium.
