FOXBORO, Mass. — Mac Jones showcased his frustration Thursday night with a tirade on the New England Patriots sideline.
Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne did so with postgame comments aimed at the offensive line and offensive play-caller Matt Patricia.
It’s clear frustrations among New England offensive players are building. And while Bill Belichick might be as upset as anyone, the Patriots head coach wasn’t willing to peel back the curtain after another inconsistent performance from the offense.
“Yeah, well, we just need to do a better job overall,” Belichick told reporters after New England’s 24-10 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football.”
The Patriots dropped to 6-6 on the season and further down the NFL playoff standings. It’s the second time in three games the Patriots scored merely 10 points, and the previous example at Gillette Stadium included a special teams touchdown.
“Well, I’ll just say tonight, like I said, we just didn’t do enough,” Belichick said. “Had some opportunities and weren’t able to take advantage of them.”
The Patriots only advanced into the red area once against the Bills, and that was with three minutes left in what was a three-possession game. Belichick was pressed about why the offense has taken a step back despite the fact the group includes a majority of the same players from last season.
“Just got through with the game here,” he responded.
The Patriots went 3-for-12 on third down against the Bills. New England ran for just 60 yards while finishing with 242 yards of offense. Their only touchdown came on a 48-yard reception by rookie defensive back-turned-receiver Marcus Jones.
“It’s a combination of things, so there’s a lot of things we could to do better,” Belichick said specifically of the third-down troubles. “Some of it’s third down, some of it’s first and second down.”
One way or the other, Belichick and the Patriots will have to turn things around in a hurry should they want to have any chance at a playoff game.
