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The New England Patriots have struggled mightily on offense this season and quarterback Mac Jones recently spoke out about the unit’s biggest issue.
After a Week 11 win that saw New England’s only touchdown occur on a punt return, the Patriots offense needs to do a better job of getting into the end zone. That is especially the case when New England is in the red zone.
So far this season, the Patriots are 31st in red zone percentage (42.9%), coming away with TDs on 12 of 28 trips inside opponents 20-yard line.
In his weekly interview on WEEI, Jones spoke about the offense’s struggles in the red zone.
“I learned something on a college recruiting visit,” the quarterback said. “I think it was at the University of Kentucky, and — this was when I was really young — they were kind of struggling in the red zone in previous years. And their thing was, ‘Flip the switch’. It’s like when you start getting into that fringe red area: flip the switch. This is when you need to really pick it up. I utilized that at Alabama a little bit too. Obviously, I feel like that would help here.
“Whenever you get to that spot it’s like, ‘Alright, let’s play our best football right here’. Some teams it might be third-down flip the switch, but right now that’s our biggest area where we need to flip the switch and make something good happen,” he added. “That’s the goal. It’s all about positive plays and just moving the ball forward. We’re going backwards too much, just in that spot. Once we do that we get through there and see where it takes us.”
What Did Bill Belichick Think of New England’s Struggles?
New England’s head coach also noticed the struggles of the offense in the end zone. Belichick recently discussed the issue with the media after the Week 11 win.
“We moved the ball. We just didn’t have enough points,” the head coach said. “We’ve got to do a better job of scoring more points when we get down there, and when we get close to scoring points, 30-, 35-yard line, get the ball closer to get some points on the board.
“It wasn’t like we couldn’t move the ball,” Belichick added. “We had several good opportunities, but we just — penalties, negative plays, dropped the ball, missed opportunities. Just have to do a better job there.”
Who Is the Patriots Best Rookie in 2022?
Bleacher Report recently released their list of the top rookies for each team this season and the selection for New England won’t be too big of a surprise.
“Surprisingly, New England may have found its next great cover corner when it used a fourth-round pick on Arizona State’s Jack Jones,” Kristopher Knox wrote. “While Jones has made only one start for the Patriots, he has played 59 percent of the defensive snaps and has shown a penchant for making plays. The 24-year-old has logged 25 tackles, five passes defended, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown.
“In coverage, Jones has allowed an opposing passer rating of just 59.2. Presumably, he’ll earn a full-time starting role in the not-too-distant future,” Knox added. “Even as a key rotational player, Jones is a star, and the Patriots got themselves a steal.”