Many expected New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones to take that next step in his third season with the respected Bill O’Brien taking over as the play caller.
Through the first five games of the 2023 season, this has not in any way been the case. New England sits at 1-4 on the season heading into Week 6’s outing against the Las Vegas Raiders. It ranks dead last in the NFL at 11 points per game and has been outscored 72-3 over the past two outings.
To say that things have been miserable for Jones and the Patriots’ offense would be an understatement. The former first-round pick from Alabama talked to the media in his weekly presser on Wednesday, opening up about the frustration he’s felt this season. For the first time in a while, Jones seemed somewhat relaxed and engaging with the media.
“Yeah, that’s what I always think about. Why aren’t they there? Keep grinding away. It might take a little bit of time. But keep grinding. It might not happen the next day,” Jones said on how to overcome the frustration of the early season. “Work hard. It might take a year or so to get to where you want to be. But that’s something that’s hard, because, I really want it to be good right now. So, continuing on the process is my kinda thing.”
After a stellar rookie season in which he threw 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions en route to leading New England to a playoff appearance, it’s been downhill for Jones from there. He tossed 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions a season ago, throwing for less than 3,000 yards in 14 starts (6-8 record). It has not gotten any better in 2023.
Related: Where Mac Jones stands among NFL QBs heading into Week 6
Mac Jones stats (2023): 63% completion, 1,008 yards, 5 TD, 6 INT, 74.2 QB rating
“I’m not necessarily a young guy anymore. This is my third year, I have to start playing like one,” Jones told reporters.
The quarterback has been benched in each of New England’s past two games. Though, head coach Bill Belichick made it clear that it was due to the blowout nature of the games more than anything else. Belichick noted on Wednesday that the Pats are not going to make any changes at quarterback heading into Week 6.
Belichick’s decision to continue running Jones out there over second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe could become even more of a point of contention should the former struggle against a pretty poor Raiders defense this coming Sunday.
Both the quarterback and head coach are under a microscope right now. Jones can say all of the right things publicly. But he needs to start showing up on the field. That has not been the case through five weeks.