The New England Patriots will take any good news about their offense, even if it’s just from practice.
Patriots reporter Evan Lazar claimed New England “lit up” Green Bay’s defense during Thursday’s joint practice. He said New England’s starting offensive unit “dominated red zone work” in “one of the most entertaining joint practices” he’s witnessed.
Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe combined for seven touchdowns, while recent signee Ezekiel Elliott also found the end zone.
The #Patriots red zone offense just lit up the Green Bay defense. Both Mac and Zappe. Touchdowns to JuJu, Bourne, Parkerx2, Douglas x2, Firkser. Zeke scored a rushing TD.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 17, 2023
After the #Packers won the day yesterday, the #Patriots had a huge bounce-back on day two. Pats starting offense dominated red zone work, Parker exclamation point on 40-yard TD from Mac.
Starting D also stopped Jordan Love in 2 min. Sideline was feeling it. Fun day.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 17, 2023
MassLive’s Mark Daniels called it “one of the best practices I’ve ever seen from Mac Jones.” He credited the quarterback for completing 14 of 17 passes during 11 vs. 11 drills.
Patriots-Packers, part 2
11v11
Mac Jones: 14/17
Bailey Zappe: 18/27, 2 INTOne of the best practices I’ve ever seen from Mac Jones. What a day.
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 17, 2023
As for what this means, well … probably not much. It’s practice. But it’s nice to hear after a tumultuous year for New England’s offense.
The Patriots finished 26th in total yards, their second-worst rank in the Bill Belichick era after placing 27th without Tom Brady in 2020. Jones regressed in his second season, dipping in completion percentage (65.2), yards per attempt (6.8), and quarterback rating (84.8) while throwing 14 touchdowns in as many games.
The quarterback was spotted yelling at coaches on the sideline and reportedly sought assistance outside the Patriots organization. They aimed to remedy the situation by bringing back Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator.
Perhaps the offense is turning the corner, but the Patriots must first demonstrate this progress in real-game situations. New England will look to carry over its practice momentum into Saturday’s preseason game at Lambeau Field, which starts at 8 p.m. ET.