Mac Jones Improved; Why Aren't Patriots Winning?
The New England Patriots are winless through the first two games of the season, despite the general consensus that starting quarterback Mac Jones has improved after a steep regression a year ago. In each of the opening two games, the Patriots have had chances to win in the fourth quarter but ended up falling short.
However, that inability to win late in games hasn't affected the talk of improvement surrounding Jones. Many believe the former first-round draft pick is back to playing at the level he did as a rookie. This, statistically speaking, seems to be true as he has completed 68.8 percent of his passes, up from his rookie year (67.6 percent), with 547 yards and four touchdowns with just two interceptions.
Many of the Patriots' shortcomings this season have been out of Jones's control, like the play of a make-shift offensive line which has contributed to a lackluster running game and even a non-explosive passing game.
With an offensive line that didn't start the same five guys in their two games due to injuries, the Patriots have averaged a horrid 82 rushing yards per game, which puts them near the bottom of the league at No. 27. Even with a healthy Rhamondre Stevenson, who some argue is their best play-maker, the Patriots have passed the ball on 68.46 percent of plays, which is the fourth-highest rate in the league per TeamRankings.
For a team whose longest passing play is a 32-yard completion to Stevenson, it isn't exactly a formula for success, as they've become almost one-dimensional offensively. Yet, throughout this all, Jones has shown improvement in other areas, like when facing pressure from the defense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones is the fifth-highest-graded quarterback against pressure this season. Jones has completed 53.6 percent of his passes and even has a touchdown versus pressure, which is up from the prior two seasons, where his completion rate was 42.4 percent with three touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Not only is Jones taking care of the football, but he is being decisive in the pocket as his time to throw is the fourth-fastest time at 2.46 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats.
However, it is worth noting that a big part of this improvement has been due to offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien's adaptive play-calling. Without a stable offensive line, the Patriots have resorted to using more of the quick-passing game. According to Benjamin Solak, Jones leads the league in completions and attempts for passes behind the line of scrimmage. This isn't a problem as long as you can mix in a successful vertical passing game, which is something the Patriots lack.
So, how do the Patriots and Jones take it to the next level?
Finding a way to create explosive plays downfield would be a start. The Patriots signed JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason in hopes that his explosivity which he displayed with the Kansas City Chiefs, would translate in Foxboro, and so far it hasn't. Additionally, a healthy offensive line will help as it may give Jones and O'Brien more confidence to sit back in the pocket and throw the deep ball.
