1 – Bill Belichick has often said over the years, in some form, that when a Patriots player has the football in his hands he holds the fate of the entire New England team and organization.
Running backs cannot fumble. Quarterbacks cannot throw interceptions, at least not with any regularity. It’s that simple.
A year ago, then-rookie Mac Jones did an admirable job taking care of the football, throwing just 13 interceptions over his 17 rookie starts. In fact, the first-round pick avoided throwing an interception in seven of the first 13 NFL games he played in.
Unfortunately since that point, since the December bye week a year ago, Jones has become a bit of an interception machine. He threw seven interceptions over his final five games (including the playoff loss in Buffalo) of last season, with two picks each in three of those games.
That trend continued into this season as Jones has thrown seven interceptions in the four games he’s played in, including three in the Week 3 loss to the Ravens at the conclusion of which the quarterback suffered the high ankle sprain that was the first step toward the current curiosity that is the QB situation in New England.
Fourteen interceptions in his last nine games played. That’s not acceptable for Jones or the Patriots offense as a whole. And as Jones tries to once again settle into his starting quarterback job on Sunday at MetLife Stadium against the Jets, he has a pretty simple plan as he tries to right the ship and his personal performances.
“For me, right now, that’s to become a better quarterback individually and a better player. I’m doing everything I can to do that,” Jones said this week. “I just want to prove that every day. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Given everything that’s gone on with him this year in terms of coaching staff changes, scheme alterations, a tough start to the season and an injury which opened the door for rookie Bailey Zappe to build a following among Patriots’ fans, Jones needs to find a way to get back on track, get back to being the quarterback he was during the first few months of his incredibly impressive rookie season.
Jones needs to pick up his play, get right and build some confidence.
That starts Sunday afternoon in New York against a very good Jets defense.
That starts with not throwing any picks.
2 – Jones was asked this week specifically about his flurry of interceptions this season, which could be part of the risk of taking more chances down the field and the seemingly collaborative affinity for throwing 50/50 balls to veteran receivers including newcomer Devante Parker.
While making it clear that he indeed needs to do a “a better job” on a lot of plays, Jones did acknowledged the team’s desire to be able to get the ball down the field and the inherent risk that potential reward brings with it.
“I think that they’re all part of the game. Interceptions and things like that,” Jones said. “You can’t really look at what you’re doing. You just kind of have to look at it through a straw and say, ‘alright, on this play, this is what I’m supposed to do, and I’m going to try and execute that.’ Obviously, I need to do a better job of that on a lot of plays. Whether that’s throwing the ball away or just surviving the play really. But we want to have those explosive plays. Like I said, short, medium, long, it doesn’t really matter. We want to move the ball down the field and yes, those by percentage, those throws might not be as high, but I think we have really good skill players that can go make those plays. That’s something that is good to know that we have and that you can trust them to go do that.”
3 – In some ways, veteran safety Devin McCourty is the quarterback of the New England defense. He has to see the whole field and know what each of his teammates is doing. And when a play goes really wrong, most of the time McCourty has to share in the blame as the list line of that defense.
But when reporters jokingly asked the veteran in the midst of New England’s so-called quarterback controversy this week if he was suiting up at the position McCourty shot down the silly idea, pointing to too many shoulder surgeries as the reason. “Unless you go to triple-option,” McCourty joked.
4 – Deatrich Wise is enjoying a breakout sixth NFL season in New England. The team captain has started six games and already matched a career high with five sacks.
The increased production is coming in part thanks to increased playing time as Wise has been on the field for 79-percent of New England’s defensive snaps, topping 83-percent in five of seven games this year. That’s well above the typical 50-percent or less play time Wise handled in the past.
It begs the question, how is the veteran defensive lineman’s body holding up with the extra playing time as the middle of the season approaches?
“It’s feeling well,” Wise said, explaining how he keeps his body ready for the rigors of so much playing time. “No luck, it’s just hard work, honestly. Every day I come in here I do some type of muscle building, whether it’s working out or whatever. I stretch after practice. I do my body regimen, just like everybody else does. Just like I’ve been doing it for the last six years. So it’s kind of like second nature to me. I’m just out here having fun. So that’s pretty much it.”
5 – The bloom came off Zappe a bit in the second half against the Bears when the rookie had a handful of batted balls on the way to a pair of interceptions of his own. That led to Belichick saying, relatively emphatically that “Mac will be our quarterback.”
Was that statement simply related to the starting job against the Jets? Was it a reaffirmation of Jones as the no-question New England quarterback now that he’s healthy and off the injury report? Was it somewhere in the middle?
NFL Network’s Mike Giardi, for one, wasn’t so sure it was a definitive declaration.
“I don’t think Bill Belichick has closed the door on Zappe,” Giardi said on NFLN.
So, maybe the Patriots QB soap opera staring Jones and Zappe could continue? Stay tuned.
6 – New England has won 12 straight games against the Jets, the second-longest active winning streak in NFL for a team against a single opponent.
It’s also the second-longest Patriots winning streak over an opponent, trailing only a 15-game span of victories over the Bills from 2003-2010.
But right now the Patriots are a 3-4 last place team and the Jets are a 5-2 second-place team that’s won four in a row. That’s breeding optimism in New York, especially heading into a battle with its Border War rival. WFAN host Brandon Tierney joined WEEI’s “6 Rings” podcast this week and said that from a Jets’ perspective the Patriots are a team that’s “ripe for the picking.”
“The Jets are rolling out of the tunnel, for the first time in my opinion with the better team in a while,” Tierney told 6 Rings. “There is certainly a sense that this team is not nearly as talented as they were.
They are ripe for the picking.
“I think the Jets are ascending and I think it’s over for the Pats. What are you holding onto other than blind faith?”
Maybe the Jets are building something special, coming off an impressive draft as they figure out if Zach Wilson is the franchise foundation that he’s supposed to be as the No. 2 overall pick a year ago. Maybe the Patriots are scuffling and still trying to figure out if Jones is the franchise foundation they hoped he’d be as the No. 15 overall pick a year ago. But this is not really a potential changing of the guard, because the reality for both teams is that the “guard” in the AFC East these days is the Buffalo and proven franchise QB Josh Allen.
Maybe the Jets are back. Maybe the Patriots are fading. But there is no question that the Bills are now the measuring stick in the division and looks like they will be for the foreseeable future. At best New York and New England may be reigniting their rivalry with an eye on second place, or at least to stay out of last place.
7 – Prediction Time: Belichick and the Patriots are coming off one of their more shocking, disappointing losses in recent memory. The suspect Bears simply controlled the action from nearly start to finish last Monday night. This is key point in the season for New England and certainly for Jones. They have plenty to prove against what is a very good, talented Jets defense that ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in both yards and points allowed. The Patriots offense is scuffling at more than just the quarterback spot. With David Andrews out with a concussion the offensive line needs to be better than it was against Chicago and prove it can get the job done without its captain. On the other side of the ball Zach Wilson has been managing the Jets four-game win streak, not really making plays but not really making costly mistakes. New York lost playmaking rookie running back Breece Hall to injury, a lucky break for the Patriots’ inconsistent run defense. Of course the Patriots playing without Andrews, safety Kyle Dugger and defensive tackle Christian Barmore is unfortunate if not alarming. On paper this looks like it could be a low-scoring battle, especially with the Jets having allowed fewer points than the previous game every week since Week 2, including 20 points or less in each of the last four. New England’s 12-game win streak doesn’t mean a thing today, but is a scuffling Belichick team going to go into New York and lose to the hated Jets? It’s possible, but the expectation here is that the Patriots stabilize things just enough to make just enough plays in what might be a kinda ugly game on the way to a 17-13 victory. But, if Wilson and the Jets don’t turn the ball over, New England could be in trouble.
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