Bill Belichick Sticking With Mac Jones at QB Despite Patriots' Struggles

Any New England Patriots fans hoping for a quarterback change are about to be disappointed.

Mac Jones will remain New England's starting QB this week, coach Bill Belichick confirmed Wednesday morning. The Patriots have been outscored 72-3 in losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints the past two weeks—marking the two worst defeats of Belichick's head-coaching career. Jones turned the ball over a combined six times, with three of them being returned for touchdowns in the two losses.

The third-year QB was pulled from both games. The 24th-year Patriots coach said it was time to "start over" and make adjustments after Sunday's loss to the Saints. Apparently, that doesn't include a fresh start at QB.

"Yeah, we're not making any changes," Belichick confirmed Wednesday when asked about Jones' status as the starter.

Jones will be back under center in a Week 6 matchup between the Patriots (1-4) and Las Vegas Raiders (2-3) on Sunday.

Belichick clearly believes the 2021 first-round pick gives New England the best chance to win. But the team's offensive output with Jones leading the way this season hasn't reflected that. The Patriots have the lowest-scoring offense in the league through five weeks of the 2023 NFL season. And, despite all the goodwill Belichick has built with Patriots fans over the last two-plus decades, they are starting to get frustrated.

Here's a closer look at some tough times for the once-dominant Patriots.

Just How Bad is New England's Offense?

The days of Tom Brady leading New England's offenses are long gone.

New England is averaging only 11 points per game this season, last in the NFL. The Patriots' 0.85 points per drive would be the worst of any team since the 2006 Raiders (0.77), according to ESPN. That Raiders team finished 2-14. Belichick's team has gone 34 straight offensive drives without a touchdown and 24 consecutive drives without a point scored, per ESPN. The latter streak is the longest in a season by any team since the 2008 Cleveland Browns.

The Patriots' offensive struggles include subpar QB play.

Jones has thrown five touchdowns compared to six interceptions (tied for second-most in the NFL) this season. The Alabama product has the lowest completion percentage (62.5 percent), yards per pass attempt (6.0) and quarterback rating (74.2) of his three-year career.

Backup quarterback Bailey Zappe has played in relief of Jones each of the last two weeks after the starter was sent to the bench.

"Right now, it's not looking too good, but we've got to flip the switch and start over and figure out ways to go out there and sling the ball around," Jones said Monday. "... I've been disappointed in myself because it hasn't been good on game day. So why hasn't it? That's something that I've focused on."

Jones isn't entirely to blame. Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said earlier this week that Jones would be thriving if he were in a better offensive system and surrounded by better skill players.

New England's leading receiver this season is Kendrick Bourne (218 yards). Offseason acquisition JuJu Smith-Schuster has only 86 receiving yards through five games. The Patriots haven't fared much better on the ground, ranking 26th in the league in rushing yards and 29th in yards per attempt.

Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien said Tuesday that he has seen "glimpses" of what Jones and the Patriots offense could be. Whether those glimpses translate into anything else remains to be seen.

"He'd be the first to tell you that there's things he has to do better, whether it's obviously take care of the ball, maybe read the route better or get us into a better play," O'Brien said. "But it's a collective effort."

Some Patriots Fans Turning on Belichick

The Patriots are 26-29 in the three-plus seasons since Brady left town. New England has reached the playoffs only once in that stretch after winning the AFC East in each of the previous 11 seasons. And even that 2021 playoff berth ended in a 30-point Wild Card defeat.

But things haven't been this bad in New England in decades. The Patriots' 1-4 start to this season is the worst since 2000, Belichick's first year on the job.

Several Patriots fans have clearly had enough. That's been evident on Boston sports radio this week. Belichick's six Super Bowl wins as Patriots head coach apparently can't shield him from passionate criticism this season. A variety of angry callers went after Belichick on the 98.5 Sports Hub radio program to rant about Belichick and the Patriots' struggles.

Are all their takes rational? No. But they do make for entertaining radio.

One caller said it might be time for Belichick to retire. Another claimed the head coach is a "bigger fraud than Lance Armstrong." This slow start to the season even has Patriots supporters making wild claims that Belichick isn't that good at his job.

"I really don't think Belichick has ever been a good coach," a caller said this week. "All he is is a good defensive coordinator. I hope next year, he goes to another team so I can root for him to fail and watch him fail ... I am so tired of this guy, having to watch him ruin this team year in and year out. If he's on the team next year, I'm just not gonna watch. I'll just be a fan of the Chiefs or something."

"Liar, you'll be back," one of the hosts playfully responded.