Another New England Patriots loss leads to more discussion about their quarterback situation.
After guiding New England to a dramatic Week 7 win over the Buffalo Bills, Mac Jones couldn’t spark another AFC East upset Sunday. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 161 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in a 31-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
In the post-game press conference, a reporter asked Bill Belichick if Jones will remain his starting quarterback. The head coach avoided the question to instead gave a blanket statement about the team.
“We all need to play better,” Belichick said, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “We all need to coach and play better.”
Is Mac Jones still your starting QB?
Belichick: “We all need to play better. We all need to coach and play better.”
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 29, 2023
Jones went three straight losses without a touchdown pass — and got benched for Bailey Zappe twice — before completing 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns to beat the Bills. The former first-round pick secured his finest moment of the season when throwing a game-winning touchdown to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining.
He’s not responsible for failing to contain the NFL’s most explosive offense on Sunday, but Jones’ limitations showed when failing to manufacture a play of 25 yards or more at Miami.
At 2-6, the Patriots are the AFC’s only team with fewer than three victories. They also possess the conference’s worst point differential (-90), so any playoff hopes are a pipe dream in Foxborough.
That could eventually prompt Belichick to consider a change from Jones, who ranks 24th in QBR (43.0) and 28th in yards per attempt (6.3) among all qualified quarterbacks. Yet he’s started every game despite seemingly weekly outside speculation of the 25-year-old’s job security
New England must also decide whether to sell any players before Tuesday’s trade deadline prior to playing the Washington Commanders in Week 9.