Belichick mum on QB depth
Cunningham backs up Mac Jones, for now
The Patriots are continuing to take a secretive approach to their backup quarterback situation.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked Monday morning on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” whether undrafted rookie quarterback/wide receiver Malik Cunningham would continue to back up starting QB Mac Jones in Week 7 against the Bills.
“Yeah, we’ll deal with next week next week,” Bill Belichick said. “Just finished the game here. Make our decisions on next week at another point in time, not right this minute.”
Cunningham, who was signed off of the practice squad Saturday, was the only other quarterback on the team’s gameday roster Sunday. Bailey Zappe was inactive as the team’s emergency third QB and Will Grier was inactive. Zappe could have only entered Sunday’s game if Jones and Cunningham suffered injuries.
Cunningham lined up at wide receiver, not quarterback, during pregame warmups. He said after the game that he loosened up his arm in the halls of Allegiant Stadium, not on the field, because the team wanted to keep it as “lowkey as possible.”
Belichick was asked on a video conference call whether Cunningham, who played quarterback, wide receiver and special teams in practice last week, would receive more quarterback reps in anticipation for Week 7.
“We just got through the game here,” Belichick said. “Talk about next week’s game plan and all that, it’s not even close to that.”
Cunningham played six snaps, three at quarterback and three at wide receiver, in Sunday’s 21-17 loss to the Raiders. He was sacked on his only passing attempt when the Patriots ran an option pass.
“Malik’s improved a lot during the course of the year, both at receiver and in the kicking game and some of the snaps that he’s taken at quarterback,” Belichick said. “We didn’t really get too much of a chance to see him (Sunday). It was a tough situation. They made a good call and hit us on a perimeter blitz there (on his sack). But he’s been good to work with, he’s made a lot of improvement, and we’ll see where it goes.”
It is, of course, important to know who the Patriots’ backup quarterback will be because of Jones’ struggles this season. Jones played better on Sunday and wasn’t benched mid-game for the first time since Week 3. But he still went just 24of-33 for 200 yards with an interception and another near-pick.
Bourne’s last days?
Last season, several NFL front offices called the Patriots with trade interest in Kendrick Bourne.
According to The Athletic, those calls continued before the start of this season. The Pats declined.
But after Bourne starred in Sunday’s loss at Las Vegas, which dropped the Patriots to 1-5, it’s fair to wonder whether Bill Belichick might change his mind.
Bourne, who’s playing out the final year of a teamfriendly contract, represents one of the Patriots’ few clear and obvious assets. He caught a game-high 10 passes on 11 targets for 89 yards versus the Raiders. On the season, Bourne leads the team in both categories by a wide margin and is tied for the team lead with two touchdowns.
Through six games, he’s on pace for 79 catches, 870 yards and six touchdowns, all would-be career bests. Bourne can play inside the slot and outside the numbers. The Pats have three young receivers, rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte and 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, waiting behind him. Veterans DeVante Parker and JuJu Smith-Schuster are also on the roster.
Losing Bourne would obviously hurt an already leagueworst offense. But the Patriots are 1-5, with a bevy of problems, including injuries to their best players (Matt Judon and Christian Gonzalez), their quarterback play and offensive line. The team’s playoff aspirations are effectively shot.
With more than half the regular season to go, the Patriots currently sit sixth in the 2024 NFL Draft order. They’re slated as 9-point home underdogs versus the Bills this weekend, and are scheduled to travel to Miami on Oct. 29, when they should be doubledigit ‘dogs in their last game before the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, after being benched to start last season, when he set career lows in most statistical categories and played 42% of the team’s offensive snaps, Bourne has successfully rehabbed his standing in New England.
“Yeah, (Bourne)’s done a good job for us all year, not just yesterday,” Belichick said Monday morning on WEEI. “Getting open, with the ball in his hands, after the catch. He’s shown some good run skills, and the ball security’s been much better this year.”
Jones to learn from safety
The Patriots’ Week 6 comeback attempt was officially foiled when Jones was sacked in the end zone late in the fourth quarter for safety.
Facing third-and-15 at the Patriots’ own 4-yard line with 1:54 on the clock, Jones’ three wide receivers ran downfield routes, tight end Mike Gesicki slipped as he attempted to chip Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby off the edge, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson was open in the middle of the field after running a swing route. Jones stood in the pocket and was sacked by Crosby and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols in 3.3 seconds. The Raiders faircaught the Patriots’ safety punt and then kneeled on the ball for the 21-17 victory.
“Yeah, we kind of dug ourselves in a hole there,” Jones said on WEEI’s “Jones and Mego with Arcand” on Monday afternoon. “Just tough spot to be in. The game’s on the line so probably just really just trying to read out the play. You can’t look at it like that. You’ve just got to read out the play, and I just got sacked. When you learn from those situations, there are things you can do differently. It’s a tough spot to be in.”
When Jones was sacked, there were three defenders in his face as his offensive line had failed him once again. There were opportunities to throw the ball away toward Gesicki or to even hit Stevenson and live to see another down rather than taking the safety, however.
Jones had also just taken a delay of game penalty. On the previous play, Jones delivered a perfect downfield pass to DeVante Parker that the wide receiver dropped.