The tanking crowd had plenty to celebrate as the significantly lighter New England Patriots bandwagon sputtered to 2-9 on Sunday.
A late fourth-quarter comeback drive by quarterback Bailey Zappe and the Patriots offense was ultimately foiled, due to a missed 35-yard field goal attempt by rookie kicker Chad Ryland.
As if the fan-base needed further reminding, the loss to the Giants cemented the fact that the Patriots are one of the worst teams in football. It also kept them in position to have a shot at coming away with one of the top-two quarterbacks, Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, in the 2024 NFL draft.
Let’s get into some leftover notes from Sunday’s game.
The Chad Ryland pick could sting for a long time
It’s becoming harder to ignore the fact that coach Bill Belichick made one of his worst drafting decisions in his 24-year run as the head coach for the New England Patriots.
That line of thinking goes deeper than just laying all of the blame at the feet of rookie kicker Chad Ryland, who missed a potential game-tying field goal to send Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants into overtime.
Giants win on the Patriots missed field goal. #NEvsNYG pic.twitter.com/7VY2vqmDBz
— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2023
The Patriots already had a proven and reliable veteran kicker in Nick Folk on their roster, when Belichick made the decision to trade up in the fourth-round of the 2023 NFL draft to take the rookie kicker out of the University of Maryland.
Ryland clearly hasn’t been good, but he also can’t help where he was drafted or the circumstances surrounding that decision. The onus for that decision lies squarely on the shoulders of Belichick, who passed on players that could have helped the Patriots for years to come.
One such player that comes to mind is Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, who was selected in the fifth round of the draft. In only 11 games played, Nacua already has 73 catches for 924 yards and three touchdowns. The Patriots had him on their radar during the pre-draft process, but Belichick opted to go after Ryland instead.
Mac Jones should no longer be a starter
Mac Jones is a broken quarterback.
How does a player go from making the Pro Bowl to a turnover-machine that struggles to hit open receiving targets? The drop-off from the 2021 season has been precipitous for Jones, and it really has been sad to watch.
Jones has clearly lost all confidence on the field to the point where he can’t even do the simple things right. There was one play in particular against the Giants, where tight end Mike Gesicki runs a short route and Jones heaves a rainbow ball that is easily batted down by a defender.
None of it has looked good for Jones, who finished half of the game with 89 passing yards, two interceptions and a 27.8 quarterback rating.
Jones might win out in practice against Bailey Zappe, but that success behind closed doors isn’t showing up on game day. So we’ve reached the point where Belichick needs to make a more permanent adjustment.
Zappe should be bumped to starter, and the team should consider bringing in a veteran option for the No. 2 role. The offense can’t possibly stink any worse than it already has this season. Jones isn’t getting any better with the team trotting him out there week after week and watching him have a meltdown. It’s time for Belichick to do everyone a favor, including Jones, and just move on with a different starting quarterback.
Bailey Zappe should start, but he isn't much better
Bailey Zappe wasn’t significantly better than Mac Jones on Sunday.
Granted, he did help the team score their first touchdown in the third quarter, and late in the fourth quarter, he would have completed a comeback drive, if not for Chad Ryland whiffing on a chip shot field goal attempt.
But let’s not act like he didn’t make multiple errant throws that could have ended with more interceptions than the one he had in the game. Zappe starting under center is the right thing to do, but it should simply be a means to an end.
And there should be another option behind him to avoid going back to Jones when the inevitable struggles come. Even if it means bringing back Will Grier, it’s time to let Zappe have the reins and give Jones a much-needed mental break.
It's hard not to feel bad for the defense
The Patriots defense has continued to play well, even with the unit dealing with a plethora of injuries. In back-to-back games, they have held the opponent to only 10 points.
But even that isn’t enough to win football teams when handcuffed to the league’s worst offense. It’s hard not to feel bad for the unit at this point.
“We gave up 10 points, and lost the game two weeks in a row,” Patriots safety Adrian Phillips said after the game, via the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan. “So now, we’ve gotta give up zero; whatever we can (do) to get our offense the ball back and get a chance to win. If 10 ain’t enough, then we gotta bat 1.000, and give up zero.”
#Patriots S Adrian Phillips: "We gave up 10 points, and lost the game two weeks in a row. So now, we've gotta give up zero; whatever we can (do) to get our offense the ball back and get a chance to win. If 10 ain't enough, then we gotta bat 1.000, and give up zero."
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) November 26, 2023
An argument could be made that the Patriots would be an AFC East contender with even a mediocre offense. That’s how good the defense has been this season.
Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito only threw for 191 yards and one touchdown, and it was still more yards and touchdowns than Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe had combined.
Can rock bottom get any lower?
The Patriots have one of the toughest stretches of football ahead with their next five games coming against significantly more talented teams. There’s a good chance the team could lose out the rest of the way.
They’ll return home for a matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers next on the schedule, and then they have the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets left.
The season finale against the Jets would have typically been considered a winnable game, but there’s also a chance that legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be back in the lineup in time for that matchup.
Even though the Patriots have clearly hit rock bottom, don’t make the mistake of thinking they can’t sink any lower.
