The New England Patriots playoff chances are virtually nonexistent at the midway point of the NFL season. Now, that could all change if Mac Jones gets rolling. Unfortunately, that hasn't occurred in the better part of 1.5 seasons, leading some within the organization to question whether he's the right quarterback fit moving forward.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer joined NBC Sports Boston's Boston Sports Tonight on Tuesday, detailing how some in the Patriots facilities are unhappy with Jones play of late.
"One thing that's really infuriated people in the building is the decision-making," Breer said. "They've been sold the smart, efficient, game-managing quarterback and they're not getting it. The decision-making hasn't been good...They see him passing up open receivers. They see things, quite frankly, that you wouldn't see from a quarterback who has those sorts of qualities."
Mac Jones isn't making progress in his third year with the Patriots
Mac Jones took a step back in 2022 with Matt Patricia as his offensive coordinator of sorts. He received a pass given the strange setup New England employed last season. However, the same cannot be said of the 2023 campaign. Jones has just nine passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions. That's not good enough to win in the AFC East.
"It's not just the physical limitations," Breer continued. "Now, it also doesn't feel like he's really taking the coaching, and that creates a much bigger problem. Because if this is who Mac Jones is -- andwe've seen some of the defiance bubble over in the press conferences-- if he's not running the offense as it's prescribed, then what do you have?
Jones has been benched in favor of Bailey Zappe in the past. Some fans were even calling for Malik Cunningham, a rookie out of Louisville, to start after he impressed this preseason. As a former first-round pick, one would hope Jones could read opposing defenses better at this point in his career.
That clearly isn't the case, and Bill Belichick has some tough choices to make moving forward.
