FOXBORO — The Patriots used the bye week to try to repair Mac Jones and the offense. At least, that was the hope from the entire self-scouting and changes made by the teaching workers.
Jones additionally did his justifiable share of “self-auditing” to try to cease the bleeding, each personally, and as a unit given how poorly he and the offense appeared over the course of the primary 9 video games.
The outcome?
Punt returner Marcus Jones was the offense. Not Mac & Co.
The rookie’s 84-yard punt return for a landing within the closing seconds beat the Jets, and put the Patriots excessive, 10-3, within the AFC East showdown. It was the rookie returner and the protection that did the job within the pivotal division matchup with the Jets.
And, the Patriots, now 6-4, will take it. A win is a win, particularly in a decent AFC East race.
The offense, nevertheless, stays an eyesore and a priority going ahead.
About the one good factor it did was give the protection a breather, placing collectively prolonged drives, most of which ended with out factors.
And Mac Jones, statistically, a minimum of, performed what many would take into account an excellent recreation, finishing 23 of 27 passes for 246 yards. He additionally didn’t have a turnover, certainly one of his bugaboos from earlier within the season.
On paper, it was certainly one of his higher video games. Only it actually wasn’t should you take a look at the large image.
The similar issues that plagued the offense earlier than the bye have been nonetheless very evident within the victory.
The unit was poor on third down (4 conversions on 15 probabilities), and poor within the pink zone (0-for-2).
And, a lot of it wasn’t essentially Jones’ fault.
The Patriots would often get into Jets territory on what gave the impression to be a promising drive, solely to shoot themselves within the foot and go backwards each single time.
The regular culprits have been penalties, adverse performs, a struggling offensive line – Jones was sacked six occasions – and poor play calling.
Sound acquainted?
It ought to. Those have been most of the similar points that had been sabotaging the offense earlier than the break.
While the Patriots completely needed to win the sport to maintain themselves within the playoff hunt, and deserve credit score for taking the Jets down yet one more time, it’s onerous to not suppose that sooner or later, the offense has to get off the mat.
They can’t be a piece in progress eternally. It’s been 10 video games, and the encouragement degree isn’t very excessive for them to enhance.
The gamers, nevertheless, did their greatest to take no matter positives they might from shifting the ball, being in Jets territory 5 occasions, even when they solely got here away with solely three factors.
For them, the drives have been progress, particularly towards an excellent protection, and the Jets deserve some credit score for conserving the offense in verify.
“There are things we did well. There were a lot of things we would like to do better,” operating again Damien Harris mentioned afterwards. “I guess the positive mindset needs to come from … we are moving the ball. We know we can have positive plays. We know we have guys that can make plays. We just need to do it more consistently.”
That could be an understatement.
In the primary half, they moved to the Jets six, and Nick Folk kicked a discipline purpose. They additionally bought to the seven dealing with a Third-and-2, and wound up on the Jets 26 after a holding penalty (Yodny Cajuste), and sack of Jones. Folk then missed a 44-yarder right into a nasty wind.
In the third quarter, they bought to the 22, went backwards, and as soon as once more noticed Folk miss one other discipline purpose from 43 yards out into the identical wind.
Also within the third, they shortly moved to the Jets 45 after after back-to-back 20-yard completions to Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Henry, however wound up punting.
Then, with a 4th-and-3 from the Jets 40, Rhamondre Stevenson was stopped in his tracks.
They simply can’t full drives.
“I think it’s super disappointing. We put too much work in to get that result,” Mac Jones mentioned after the win. “I believe it begins with us, the execution half, after which clearly attempting to determine one thing out right here, simply make it work and get via that, such as you mentioned, from the 35-, 40-yard line and simply see if we will get via that and see what occurs.
“Every time you’re moving the ball towards the goal line, it’s good. When you’re going backwards for whatever reason, it’s not.”
Rhamondre Harris agreed.
“We’ve moved the ball down the field. We don’t have any trouble moving the ball,” he mentioned. “But once we get past the 50-yard line into their territory we don’t do well. That’s something we need to work on.”
They had some very nice runs, with Harris busting one for 30 yards. They had some lengthy cross performs, with Jonnu Smith taking a cross for 26 yards, and each Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Henry grabbing 20-yard completions.Stevenson additionally transformed a Third-and-18 with a blinding run-after-catch, making Jets miss all around the discipline.
It’s what occurred after these performs that’s troubling.
The Meyers and Henry catches got here back-to-back to set the Patriots up first down on the Jets 45 within the third quarter.
The play calls after that?
Rush for 2 yards. Rush for minus-two. Sack for minus-six. Punt.
“We want to be able to create those explosive plays, like Damien’s long run, for example, and then finish off those drives,” mentioned Jones. “We need to do that in the red zone. We need to do it in the open field. But it comes down to execution and watching the film and seeing what we can do better.”
Jones had spent the bye week engaged on syncing up his drops along with his extensive receivers. Their timing had been clearly off throughout the first half of the season, with Jones on the brink of throw the ball, and nobody searching for it.
That positively improved a bit, and so did performs the place Jones utilized play-action.
But then the Patriots quarterback was as soon as once more sped up, having little time to throw the ball when he did drop again. Center David Andrews, who returned after lacking the earlier recreation with a concussion, went down with what’s being known as a critical thigh harm.
Isaiah Wynn, who curiously began over Trent Brown at left deal with, additionally left with a foot harm.
So the road continues to be an issue. And nearly the whole lot else.
Receiver Kendrick Bourne mentioned it was only a matter of sticking it out. He nonetheless thinks the offense will get there.
“I think we’re close. We just have to keep building every week,” he mentioned. “It’s late in the year, teams are getting better … it’s just about sticking with it, taking the coaching and studying what we need to fix.”
The hassle is, that’s what they’ve been saying each week.
Source: www.bostonherald.com