It hasn’t worked to assist Jones.
The Patriots now have serious issues at quarterback as well as concerns. During training camp, they made an effort to focus on Mac Jones’ strongest suit. They signed Bill O’Brien, an accomplished offensive coordinator, because they felt he was trustworthy. They gave him permission to include plays that Jones is familiar with into a playbook he created with his input.
However, Jones was benched three and a half games into the season after committing errors that even inexperienced players avoid. He misfired on a play that led to a Cowboys score, threw another interception with a bad ball, then completed a pick six by throwing over his body. Given that it was the worst game of his career, it is unclear whether he will continue to start at quarterback for the remainder of the campaign, much alone the next one.
This is a complete and utter catastrophe for Belichick. He was supposed to have rebuilt this squad four years after Tom Brady departed, but he’s happy to be competing for AFC East crowns once again. Rather, over the last 12 games, the Patriots have a 3-9 record. The Patriots’ 35-point loss on Sunday is the largest margin of defeat they have seen under Belichick. The Patriots are in free fall as he attempts to break Don Shula’s record for the most victories—he is only 18 wins away from the top spot.
What direction do the Pats go next?
The Patriots have made a commitment to Jones, picking him in the first round of the 2021 draft and allowing him to participate in training camp while this offense develops. However, given performances like Sunday’s and the benching that followed, it is necessary to have a conversation about forcing the Patriots to start over at the most crucial position. Are they prepared to bench Jones in favor of Zappe after only one month of the season? Or do they think that Jones’ terrible performance on Sunday was only one and that they will soon see better outcomes?
Dallas makes a significant comeback.
The way the Cowboys responded to the Patriots on Sunday was exactly what was required. The Cowboys trounced New England a week before heading to San Francisco to play the 49ers, who are probably the greatest team in the NFC and have ended Dallas’ past two seasons. As shown by the Cowboys defense, last Sunday was an exception. And the Cowboys can defeat anybody when their defense plays well. Though they still need to improve in order to win in San Francisco, their red zone offense shouldn’t take away from their overall strong performance. Start-of-season record of 3-1 appears very impressive until you consider that the three wins were by a total score of 108-13.
