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New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien told reporters he anticipates Mac Jones being the team’s starting quarterback for Week 6’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Patriots have been outscored 72-3 in back-to-back losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints, with Jones in favor of Bailey Zappe in both contests. Jones has thrown for 1,008 yards and five touchdowns against six interceptions this season and has looked largely overwhelmed in the pocket.
Only Jimmy Garoppolo has thrown more interceptions this season than Jones.
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Bill O’Brien anticipates Mac Jones starting Sunday.
“There’s no time for mental breaks… It’s the grind of the season… In order to be in this league… you need to be mentally tough.”
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When asked if the young quarterback could use a week off to mentally regather himself, O’Brien said there’s “no time for mental breaks.”
“Those are on your days off, I guess, you can take a little mental break. But it’s the grind of the season. In order to be in this league as a coach, as a player, as anybody in this league, you have to be mentally tough. There’s a grind that goes into the league, and it’s a 17-week grind,” O’Brien said.
Mike Reiss of ESPN noted the Patriots have gone 34 consecutive offensive drives without a touchdown, which is the most since Bill Belichick took over as coach in 2000. Belichick has remained supportive of Jones despite sitting him in consecutive games.
“There were a lot of problems. It certainly wasn’t all on him,” Belichick told reporters after Sunday’s 34-0 loss to the Saints.
Of course, it’s a lot easier for Belichick to remain supportive with Zappe not doing anything to impress in limited work. Zappe has completed just seven of his 18 pass attempts for 79 yards while playing in garbage time the last two weeks. The Patriots’ offensive woes aren’t suddenly going to turn around by trading in one bad quarterback for another.
In fact, the best long-term solution for New England may be to play out the 2023 season in stealth-tank mode. Caleb Williams is a potential franchise-transforming talent at the top of the 2024 NFL draft, and Drake Maye is not a bad consolation prize.
It’s likely Belichick would install either young quarterback at the top of his depth chart right now if given the chance. It’s also highly unlikely Belichick is able to turn the Patriots’ recent woes around without making an investment to replace Jones under center.
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