Reeling Patriots Have No Good Option At QB Amid Stunning Skid

FOXBORO, Mass. — For the second straight week, Mac Jones watched the end of a humiliating Patriots loss from the sideline.

Jones struggled for three quarters Sunday before being benched for backup Bailey Zappe as New England was routed 34-0 by the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. It was quite similar to what Jones and the Patriots experienced the previous week, when Zappe entered late in the third quarter of a 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

After both games, head coach Bill Belichick noted the lopsided score when asked why he pulled Jones from the game, and both times, he said Jones would remain the starter.

Jones’ grip on the starting job can’t be ironclad, though, after a two-game stretch in which he committed six turnovers (four interceptions, two fumbles) and had three returned for touchdowns. Taking care of the ball and making smart decisions are supposed to be Jones’ greatest strengths. If he’s failing in those areas, what does he bring to the table?

The embattled third-year pro was asked after Sunday’s beatdown — during which he completed 12 of 22 passes for 110 yards and two picks — whether he feels like he’s playing for his job. Jones sidestepped the question, pivoting to discuss the Patriots’ overall offensive struggles.

“Just trying to do better as an offense,” said Jones, who played well in the Patriots’ first three games before his recent meltdown. “You know, we didn’t score any points. So that’s the important part, is scoring points and executing your job. And I try to just execute my job.”

The Patriots’ offense looked promising in training camp under new coordinator Bill O’Brien, but it started the season poorly and has gotten progressively worse. From Weeks 1 through 5, New England’s point total dropped from 20, to 17, to 15, to three and finally to zero in Sunday’s shutout — the first for the franchise since 2016 and just the fourth of the Belichick era.

New England has not scored a touchdown of any kind since the second quarter of its Week 3 win over the New York Jets.

“We’ve got to do better in all three phases,” Jones said. “Definitely the offense not putting up any points. Got to improve in all areas. And, you know, it’s hard, right? We don’t want to score zero points. It’s not the goal.”

Indeed. And shaky quarterback play certainly is not the only reason why New England’s offense has fewer points over the last two weeks than the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles scored on Sunday.

The O-line has struggled all season, especially at the right tackle position, and the Patriots’ lack of pass-catching talent is severely limiting Jones’ options. Far too often, Jones either has no time to throw, nobody open, or both.

Things could be even more dire in that department next week against the Las Vegas Raiders after impressive rookie wideout Demario Douglas and underperforming veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster both left Sunday’s game with head injuries.

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Jones also wasn’t to blame for his second interception against the Saints, as that one hit Ty Montgomery in the hands before bouncing directly to a New Orleans defender. In ranking the Patriots’ problems, Jones’ performance sits well below Belichick’s mismanaged roster-building.

That said, Jones was not good in either of the last two games, during which the Patriots were outscored by an almost incomprehensible margin of 72-3. Even though he’s far from the only one at fault, he’ll eventually be benched for good if he continues to perform like this.

The problem with that? Zappe wasn’t any better in his relief appearances (3-for-9, 22 yards against New Orleans), and the coaching staff was so low on him entering the season that it felt comfortable cutting the 2022 fourth-round draft pick and giving every other team a chance to claim him. None did, and he eventually made it back onto the 53-man roster after the Matt Corral experiment went sideways.

Zappe reportedly saw an uptick in practice reps this past week, however, and said he plans to work on his own with the Patriots’ starting pass-catchers ahead of the Raiders game.

Third-stringer Will Grier and practice squad QB/wideout Malik Cunningham round out New England’s quarterback room.