Pats need Mac to be a difference-maker
FOXBORO — Fourth-and-three from the opposing 37. Fifty-nine ticks left on the clock. Game weighing in the balance. At some point before the season ends, Bill Belichick needs to be able to go to Mac Jones without any hesitation in the above situation, as well as others like it.
Let’s just say Andy Reid isn’t bringing Patrick Mahomes to the sidelines and attempting a 56-yard field goal in the rain in that scenario. Bruce “no risk it, no biscuit” Arians also isn’t sending out the kicker, and leaving Tom Brady tucked away in his holster with the game on the line.
Understandably, the Patriots are doing their best not to put too much on Mac Jones’ shoulders. As it is, he’s had to navigate through the first four games with shoddy protection, and a run game that’s dried up the past two outings. But even with that, Belichick and Josh McDaniels can’t baby the kid forever, or wait for him to make the Year 2 leap.
If the Patriots don’t have enough faith in Jones to eventually loosen the reins, and give him an opportunity to win games down the road, they’ll just be treading water the rest of the season.
The quarterback, by definition, is the biggest difference-maker on the field. That is, unless he’s not allowed to be.
Sunday night, the Patriots sent Nick Folk onto the field to try and beat the Buccaneers with a 56-yarder, instead of giving Jones a chance to move the sticks and enhance their chances for a victory. If he doesn’t make the first down, it’s game over. But that’s practically the same scenario with a missed field goal.
With Brady on the sideline with two timeouts and time on the clock, the Patriots were also likely cooked if Folk had made the kick. It’s hard to bet against Brady not engineering one more game-winning drive for the scrapbook. The latter possibility would have been taken out of play by keeping the ball in Jones’ hands.
He could have either moved the ball closer for an easier potential game-winning kick for Folk by getting the first down, or taken it all the way to the end zone.
At one point during the game, he had completed 19 straight passes. Why not give him a chance on fourth down?
Isn’t that what the good quarterbacks are supposed to do? Hall of Famer Kurt Warner certainly thinks so.
“The reason they’re probably not winning these close games, is because you’re not getting that extra from the position, which in this day and age, quite honestly, you have to get,” Warner told the Herald. “It’s a pass-driven league. You need that position to make some differencemaking plays. And, right now, he’s not really doing that very much.”
Couldn’t agree more. While Jones has been very good, and shown incredible toughness and largely has been able to execute the offense, he still hasn’t made the gotta-have-it plays that win games.
Going just 7-of-19 (36.8%) on third down against the Saints, and just 2-of-9 (22.2%) against the Bucs, both losses, won’t get it done. Having to settle for field goals in the red zone also doesn’t equate to winning.
So the Patriots need to further take off the wraps, give him a little more freedom to cut it loose, and make those game-changing plays. Obviously, there are circumstances contributing to Jones’ inability to go for it, so to speak, and put up a ton of points.
His line hasn’t protected him well enough to take chances downfield, or make the type of big plays Warner is talking about. They’ve had to rely on gadget plays to do that. And without a running game, defenses are much more in tune to defending the pass when Jones steps under center.
So the rookie has remained conservative, doing his best not to make mistakes and add to the issues already plaguing the team.
Eventually, though, that approach won’t net the desired result.
Warner, who is an NFL Network analyst, sees Jones stuck in the mud if he continues on his current path.
“I think the early impression is that he’s managing the game alright. He’s not putting too much on his shoulders and kind of playing within himself to a degree,” said Warner. “I think he’s very quick to get to a completion, as opposed to playing the game to attack, and make plays to win the game.”
Case in point: quickly settling on a checkdown to Jonnu Smith in the first half against the Jets on a flea flicker, instead of hitting an open Nelson Agholor deep.
“They’ve been in every game, and they’ve had opportunities, and Mac’s not screwing it up for the most part,” said Warner. “But he’s also not making those game-changing plays that are the difference between winning and losing against good teams.”
Jones has put the ball up over 90 times the past two games. But even if the run game ever gets back on track, Jones is still going to have to make plays on third down and in the red zone to turn the Patriots season around.
He’s also going to have to convert a play here and there on fourth down to push the Patriots toward a playoff berth.
“You can give your team a chance simply by getting completions, checking the ball down, not taking sacks, and not putting the ball in harm’s way,” said Warner, “but I just don’t think you beat good teams very often doing that.
“What I’ve seen from that team, and how they’re built, they’re just going to have to get more from Mac if they’re really going to make a move and possibly push for the playoffs.”