There's no sugarcoating it: Mac Jones has been the worst quarterback in the league over the last three weeks.
His dreadful performances in those three New England Patriots losses stand out above the rest, but the first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft hasn't done much to impress since his promising rookie year. That isn't all his fault, however.
Jones wasn't put in a position to succeed last season with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge taking over control of the offense. And this year, he's playing behind a porous offensive line with a glaring lack of weapons at his disposal.
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Those issues can be blamed squarely on Patriots head coach/general manager Bill Belichick, who might find himself on the hot seat if the season continues on its current trajectory. But does Belichick put any blame on himself for Jones and the team's struggles, or does he see it as a QB problem?
Phil Perry and Tom E. Curran discussed the topic on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast.
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"There might be a little bit of both there," Perry answered. "I think even he would look at the result and say, 'I screwed this up.' Whether or not he still to this day believes it could have worked, he now sees what happened and what the results were, how the players reacted. He understands the value of buy-in. He understands the value of making good decisions and the fact that even his grip on a team can be tenuous.
"And so, I think he looks at it and says, 'Boy, that was a mistake. Even if I still to this day think Matt Patricia can coach offense, look at us now. I screwed up.' I don't think he's telling us anytime soon, but I think he believes that."
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Curran believes Belichick and his staff lament Jones not "buying in" despite their questionable decision-making over the last couple of years.
"He probably says, 'If the kid just bought in,'" Curran said. "Because I'm sure (assistant head coach) Joe Judge is able to say that to him. 'If the kid just bought in, Bill. Look how Bailey (Zappe) did. Bailey's not wonderful. Bailey went to a Division II school. Bailey's limited. Bailey bought in. It's Mac's fault, Bill. It's Mac's fault.'"
Also in the episode:
- Did the Patriots do all they could to maximize Mac Jones?
- What's the QB plan going forward?
- Do the Patriots have a core they can count on for the future?