Patriots coach Bill Belichick could have hushed the critics for a time, and kept his job status out of the headlines at least another week.
Ditto quarterback Mac Jones.
The Patriots quarterback could have silenced some of the naysayers and stalled all the questions about his ability to lead this team going forward.
Only, what happened at Hard Rock Stadium Sunday afternoon is simply going to ratchet up the noise for both of them.
$200 INSTANT BONUS
DRAFTKINGS MASS
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET
FANDUEL MASS
BET $50, GET $250 BONUS
CAESARS MASS
$1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS
BETMGM MASS
MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234
MA Gambling Helpline.
Let’s start with Belichick. The 31-17 loss to Miami merely reinforced the notion that the team he built isn’t close to being a contender. More to the point, the Patriots aren’t built to succeed in today’s NFL.
That belief has been bouncing around all season, but got a bit of a reprieve after the team upset Buffalo last week.
Mike McDaniel’s team just drilled the obvious home.
Granted, it’s a tall order to beat the Dolphins in Miami. The problem is that it’s even tougher when you don’t come close to matching them talent-wise.
Because the difference in both offenses alone is huge. Really, it was easy to see why one team is 6-2 and a legitimate contender, and the other 2-6 headed for a crash landing. Belichick’s failure to arm Jones with the type of game-changing, difference-making weapons — the kind Tua Tagovailoa boasts — was on full display.
Tyreek Hill (8 catches, 112 yards, 1 TD) and Jalen Waddle (7 catches, 121 yards, 1 TD) were a deadly combo, one the Patriots defense couldn’t stop.
Over on the Patriots offense, Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas combined for 8 catches, 61 yards, and one touchdown. Together, Belichick’s two-best receivers couldn’t match Hill.
While Bourne and Douglas fared better than Stephon Diggs and Gabe Davis last week with the Bills, that was the exception, not the rule.
Belichick’s aversion to spending the money to bring in elite offensive talent – hello DeAndre Hopkins – or even pursuing top offensive weapons via trade or the draft, has held this team back.
It’s definitely held Mac Jones back.
It’s pretty clear he needs to operate in perfect, or close to perfect conditions to succeed. With an offensive line that’s been mostly challenged, and no elite weapons who get open regularly, Jones has had a tough time.
But he’s also been guilty of trying to do too much and not playing within his means, making mental mistakes, and adding to the problem. He’s done that far too many times.
The pick he threw in late in the second quarter, trailing 14-7 and driving toward a score, was a killer. Deep in Dolphins territory, it was a throw intended for Kendrick Bourne he never should have made. Jones doesn’t have the arm talent to make that type of throw down the field on the opposite sideline, much less off his back foot. It was easily picked by Jalen Ramsey, who left his coverage on DeVante Parker to step in front of Bourne to pull in the dying quail. So instead of the Patriots going into the locker room tied, or drawing closer, the Dolphins converted that into a ten-point lead before the half.
The Patriots aren’t good enough to survive mistakes like that. And Jones, rightfully so, is going to get slammed for being a repeat-offender and making those type of mistakes constantly.
“I knew the coverage, I knew everything. I just made a bad throw really late,” Jones said after the game. “I didn’t really drive it. That’s what happens on that play, the guy either takes it and it’s a touchdown or the guy falls off and nothing happened. But you can’t do that as a quarterback, just throw it out of bounds or take the checkdown and move on.”
To this point, it’s tough seeing the Patriots picking up his fifth-year option when the time comes next year. Especially if they aren’t going to arm him with sufficient talent going forward. Not with Belichick running the ship, anyway. Fair or not, Jones just hasn’t shown to be capable of lifting a lesser team.
He just keeps making mistakes trying to make up for what he doesn’t have, or because he gets rattled under pressure.
As for the Patriots as a whole, at 2-6, any chance of them making a run to the post-season pretty much evaporated. Even with a favorable schedule the next three games and change, it’s still a long shot.
The same applies to Belichick and or Jones, and whether or not they can extend their shelf life as Patriots. With nine games left in the season, it remains to be seen where it goes from here.
Team owner Robert Kraft isn’t likely to move on from Belichick during the season, but the discussion will certainly heat up about whether it’s time to part ways with his legendary coach at season’s end – regardless of any contract extension.
That brings us to the trade deadline on Tuesday. Will Belichick do right by the team in the long run, and sell off whatever parts he can for draft picks? Or will he stand pat and try and win as many games as he can to make it look good and help his standing?
The other issue is, given the parts Belichick has to sell, it’s not like the Patriots are going to get a huge return. But the process has to start toward rebuilding, and rethinking the entire approach.
When it comes to Belichick, it’s not necessarily a coaching issue. It’s more of a GM issue and his thought process behind picking the groceries. He still can’t get his head wrapped around the NFL being an offensive-driven league where weapons matter.
As for Jones, his limitations as a quarterback continue to be exposed by the lack of talent around him.
Losing to the Dolphins just brought those realities back into focus.
NFL fans can wager online on Massachusetts sports betting with enticing promo codes from top online sportsbooks. Use the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo code for massive new user bonuses.
