Under the stewardship of Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have never missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, nor has the franchise finished with a losing record in consecutive years since 1992-93. But this impressive streak doesn't appear to be in danger. Mac Jones is taking care of business.
The NFL's top rookie quarterback took additional strides forward on Sunday, throwing for 198 yards and three touchdowns in New England's blowout win over the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium. Jones' afternoon was almost flawless, as his passer rating was a season-high 142.1.
"We're seeing again why Bill Belichick is the best coach. And when it comes to them in the AFC, I don't want to see the Patriots," JR said during Tuesday's edition of the JR SportBrief show. "The Pats are capable of beating anybody. Do they have the same amount of experience with Mac Jones as they would have with Tom Brady? Hell, no. But if I have to think about the playoff picture in the AFC, who's standing out?...
"If you want to look at one downfall, it's that the quarterback has zero playoff experience. But the head coach? I'm in. You want to talk about experience? He trumps all. I hate to say this, because I'm sick of them, but the Patriots are a threat. They're a problem... Am I telling you they'll win the Super Bowl? No. But don't be surprised if they go back to the playoffs and win a round or two."
Compared to the other four quarterbacks taken in the first round of this year's draft, Jones is thriving. The 23-year-old leads all rookie signal-callers in major categories, and has completed 69-percent of his passes for 2,333 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. According to ESPN, Jones is the first Patriots rookie with three-plus touchdown passes in a game since 1993, when Drew Bledsoe recorded four in a Week 18 win over the Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots' midseason surge isn't only due to productivity from Jones and the offense. Through 10 games, their defense -- spearheaded by Belichick -- ranks second-best in average points allowed, sixth in average yards allowed, and fourth in total takeaways. In their last four games (four wins), the unit has allowed just 12.5 points on average.
New England (6-4), which currently owns the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture, will visit the Atlanta Falcons (4-5) on Thursday night. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Patriots have a 74-percent chance to reach the playoffs and a 26-percent chance to win the AFC East.
JR's complete thoughts on the Patriots' playoff hopes can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.