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New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones getting another shot in Week 6 comes as a surprise within the organization.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said on Wednesday, October 11, that Jones will start against the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s after two-straight losses of 30-plus points where Jones has committed six turnovers in that span.
“Team sources indicate Jones will start the Patriots’ game at Las Vegas primarily because their other options — a second-year backup they cut six weeks ago and a third-string journeyman [Will Grier] — are unfit,” Doug Kyed and Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reported. “Before Bill Belichick announced his decision Wednesday, members across the organization doubted Jones would get another shot. ‘How can he?’ one source asked Monday afternoon.”
Jones, who had a down year in 2022, looked more promising in the first three weeks of the season with five touchdowns passes versus one interception. However, his recent struggles haven’t inspired confidence, and Belichick notably commented in a Sunday, October 9, press conference that they’re going to “start over” after the latest blowout loss.
Kyed and Callahan did a deep dive on what has gone wrong with Jones — a former No. 15 NFL Draft pick in 2021 out of perennial college football power Alabama. It’s a combination of instability at offensive coordinator, draft picks who didn’t pan out, lack of protection on the offensive line, and lost confidence.
Mac Jones Wasn’t Expected to Make a Giant Leap Under Bill O’Brien
While Jones is on his third offensive coordinator setup this year in as many pro seasons, he had least had the benefit of Bill O’Brien‘s prior experience with the Patriots and the Crimson Tide — but it led to worse results than before. It doesn’t come as a total shock to some within the Patriots organization.
“There’s definitely hope that he’ll improve,” a Patriots team source informed the Boston Herald in April. “But I don’t think there’s a ton of confidence that he will. To be clear, I don’t think there’s doubt either. More just neutral expectations with a degree of hopefulness.”
The Patriots thus tried to improve the talent around Jones, which included a miss on star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in free agency. New England wouldn’t spend enough, and he went to the Tennessee Titans instead — another ongoing issue for the Patriots as Kyed and Callahan pointed out.
Despite ample salary cap space, the Patriots simply didn’t spend on improving the roster, they wrote. In addition, recent offensive draft picks such as wide receiver Tyquan Thornton haven’t panned or others such as now-retired running back Sony Michel left New England whether or not things went well in Foxboro as Kyed and Callahan explained.
Meanwhile, the Patriots’ injury-riddled offensive line hasn’t allowed Jones sufficient protection, and his mistakes are piling up. While it could lead to Jones’ third benching, one AFC scout told Kyed and Callahan that the third-year quarterback still has something left.
“To be honest with you, I’m still expecting them to turn it around because he is a good quarterback,” he said.
Ironically, Jones will have to start turning it around against his first former offensive coordinator, now Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels on Ides of October.
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