What a waste of a Sunday afternoon.
After their 38-3 destruction at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys last weekend, the New England Patriots took on the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Buy Patriots TicketsThe game got away from the Patriots just about as quickly as it began. The Saints scored two quick touchdowns to open up the first quarter, and New England just couldn’t muster any sort of offensive attack to match them.
The 34-0 shutout loss marked New England’s first time suffering back-to-back 30-plus point losses since 1970, the team’s first season in the NFL.
Here are four big takeaways from the game.
1
This is rock bottom
Point to an area the Patriots excelled in during Sunday’s game. Why is that an impossible task? Because the team did absolutely nothing worth hanging their hats on.
While last week’s blowout was more so due to offensive ineptitude rather than defensive inability, this week was not the same scenario. While Saints quarterback Derek Carr didn’t have a fantastic day at the helm (18-of-26 for 183 yards), his precise passing combined with a solid ground game kept New Orleans’ offense on the field for lengthy drives.
On the offensive side of the ball, New England had no answers for the Saints defense. Quarterback Mac Jones had three turnovers (two that were his fault) and was erratic all game long to the tune of a 12-of-22, 110-yard final stat line. He was replaced by backup quarterback Bailey Zappe for the second straight week, who went 3-of-9 for 22 yards as the signal-caller.
Running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliot both carried the ball eight times and combined for 45 rushing yards.
For special teams, rookie punter Bryce Baringer continued his trend of low yardage by averaging 44 yards per punt. Rookie kicker Chad Ryland missed his only field goal attempt wide left.
The Patriots are now 1-4 on the season with no hopes of turning anything around anytime soon. The tank for Caleb Williams begins now.
2
It may be time to move on from Mac
As mentioned above, Jones continued his stretch of recently brutal play on Sunday. The third-year quarterback just couldn’t find any consistency for what seems to be the fifth consecutive week, and he made multiple key mistakes that cost the offense, and the team, dearly.
Whether it was last year’s mess under de facto offensive coordinator Matt Patricia or Jones just lacks the physical and mental ability to be a top quarterback in the league is up for debate. But whatever the case may be, Jones has not looked like a franchise quarterback this season and, if anything, may be giving New England reasons to begin looking elsewhere for the role.
Jones’ saving grace, at least for this season, will likely be the lack of talented and experienced depth the Patriots have behind him at the quarterback position. Zappe looked just as, if not more, overmatched in his limited play than Jones did, and third-string quarterback Will Grier is still new to the team and has yet to consistently prove himself on an NFL field.
Fan-favorite and preseason star Malik Cunningham remains on the team’s practice squad, and it seems it may take a lot for him to earn a starting nod over any of the other options at the position, despite his unique – and incredibly athletic – skillset.
In short, barring a drastic transaction or injury, Jones likely has the rest of the season to prove his worth to the Patriots. But after consecutive blowouts highlighted by his inability to generate offense, his leash may be getting shorter.
3
The secondary looked strong, but limitations remain
The loss of rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez last Sunday to a reportedly season-ending torn labrum greatly hurt a secondary already missing multiple top options to other injuries. But a midweek trade for former star corner J.C. Jackson and the return of slot corner Jonathan Jones from injury were billed to boost the unit greatly.
And in Sunday’s game, the secondary did look, well, the same as it has this season. When playing zone defense, the Patriots got diced up by accurate passes from Carr. But in man coverage, many of the corners, including Jackson, held their own against the Saints’ solid group of receivers.
But weaknesses in the secondary remain even with the additions. Fourth-year cornerback Myles Bryant, who was targeted repeatedly by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott last weekend after Gonzalez exited with the injury, was again the center of attention for the opposing quarterback on Sunday.
Bryant was repeatedly beat on hooks and out routes by the Saints, who feasted on the young corner’s inexperience and inability to stay with his receivers in man coverage.
Third-year cornerback Shaun Wade, also a target for Prescott last weekend, looked improved in Sunday’s game. Wade was able to stay with his receivers more and generally looked more comfortable than in past weeks, but did also occasionally fall behind his receivers in coverage.
While the trade for Jackson gives the Patriots the outside cover corner they desperately needed with the loss of Gonzalez, it isn’t enough for them moving forward without the return of other injured corners. The return of Jack Jones and Marcus Jones (no relation) in the coming weeks would greatly boost the unit back near its top potential, and give the unit a more well-rounded feel overall.
But until those players return, the secondary remains exploitable. And with New England’s offense currently unable to move the ball, an exploitable secondary is a death sentence.
4
How do we evaluate Bill Belichick?
Patriots head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick took a lot of heat online after New England’s second blowout loss in two weeks. Some fans, frustrated with the team’s lack of offensive playmakers, even called for the legendary coach’s resignation.
It’s been real, Bill Belichick.
But it’s time.
— Matt McCarthy (@MattMcCarthy985) October 8, 2023
Belichick has taken much of the blame in recent weeks for the team’s offensive personnel. While offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien certainly hasn’t been able to make do with the skill players they have currently, Belichick has taken the blame for the (lack of) weapons O’Brien has to work with.
New England was deep in talks with star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, with Hopkins reportedly excited at the idea of signing with the team.
But the wideout left Foxborough without signing a contract and later signed with the Tennessee Titans, leaving the Patriots’ receiving corps made up of veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton and two rookies in Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte.
Some on X (formerly Twitter) blame Belichick for the missed signing.
Bill Belichick really signed Ezekiel Elliott over DeAndre Hopkins and allowed Jakobi Meyers to walk in FA in favor of JuJu Smith-Schuster. Dude is so out of touch. pic.twitter.com/Nvt0cN2FyW
— 🎙️Dave Robicheaux 🛜 (@DaveyRobicheaux) October 8, 2023
Whether he is solely to blame or not, it’s clear that the offense Belichick has assembled is fundamentally broken. Good coaching could pull them out of their current rut, but the team has been hard-pressed to find it so far and has shown no signs of getting there soon.
