Mac Jones fights to hold down starting QB job for Patriots

Before 2020, theNew England Patriots hadn’t lost three straight games since 2002. Now, that has happened twice in the post-Tom Brady era. Bill Belichick’s team is no longer the driving force in the NFL, and they may not even be a mid-tier team, either.

Several fans have blamed Mac Jones for most of those struggles, but that may be unfair or insufficient. The third-year QB hasn’t had the bounce-back year he vowed to have, and not even reuniting him with OC Bill O’Brien has been enough to get him right on track, but the team’s issues run depeer than that.

There were even some reports about Jones being ‘on a short leash’ vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stating that the Patriots wouldn’t hesitate to pull him if he struggled:

“Sources say Jones is on a short leash, and a poor opening few series could potentially trigger another QB to take snaps in Las Vegas,” reported Rapoport. “It’s just not entirely clear who would take those snaps if Jones is benched.”

Mac Jones Is Unbothered By The Outside Noise

Notably, that didn’t seem to be the case on Sunday. The Patriots trailed 13-3 at halftime and had piled up 107 total yards with four first downs, with Jones struggling and going 8-of-14 for 97 yards and a head-scratching pick in the first two quarters.

Following the loss, he was asked about the rumors of him being on a short leash, and he claimed to be unbothered by all the outside noise and criticism. He’s just there to do his job to the best of his capacities:

“No, just because I don’t really pay attention to that stuff,” Jones said on WEEI on Monday. “Obviously, we talk about it in the interviews and shows. For me, I just want to go out there and try and execute a little bit better each week and get better. Every week’s different. Some weeks you’re going to run the ball a lot or play action a lot, and some week’s you’re going to throw and do all those things.”

The Alabama product talked about his work ethic and how everybody’s trying to push toward the same goal, which is why he cannot afford to be distracted by the reports about his subpar performance.

Jones and the Patriots had a chance to win the game, but they fell short 21-17. He finished the game with 200 yards on 24 of 33 passing with one touchdown and one interception.

The Patriots Don’t Have Another Choice

Jones hasn’t thrown a single touchdown pass in his past three games, all while having five interceptions over that span. He’s coming off his first 200-yard game of the month, and this was also the first time he had a passer rating of 75+in the past three weeks.

But even if Jones were on a short leash, it’s not like Bill Belichick has too many options at his disposal right now. Malik Cunningham was his backup for the Raiders’ game, taking over Bailey Zappe for that spot. Will Grier is also a part of the practice squad, but he doesn’t look like a valid option either.

At the end of the day, Mac Jones gives the Patriots the best shot to win football games at this moment. That might not be the case next season or even a couple of weeks from now, but as of today, they cannot afford to make more experiments.