A measure of that finally came Sunday.
Armed with an almost-full arsenal of weapons for the first time in weeks, Jones spearheaded one of the Patriots’ best offensive efforts of the season against Buffalo, leading three touchdown drives that spanned eight or more plays and 70-plus yards. The Patriots, ranked dead last in the NFL in red-zone offense, scored on their first two trips inside the 20-yard line against the Bills’ top-ranked red-zone defense.
But Jones tossed three interceptions after halftime — including one at the 1-yard line and another in the end zone — and the Patriots mustered just 10 second-half points. Even an improved offensive effort wasn’t enough to overcome a disastrous showing on special teams (two kick-return touchdowns by Nyheim Hines) and a few moments of Josh Allen brilliance (a 42-yard touchdown pass to John Brown and a 49-yarder to Stefon Diggs) in their ill-fated upset bid.
Since drafting Jones, the Patriots have yet to win a game when the opponent scores at least 25 points. They’ve also closed out each of his first two seasons by losing three of their final four games.
“Obviously, you look at each year in your football life, and you want to get better as a player, and I did,” said Jones, who completed 26 of 40 passes for 243 yards in the loss and played well enough down the stretch that his job should not be in jeopardy this offseason.
“I learned a lot, and I think a lot of guys on our team learned a lot, but it was not the progress that any of us wanted to make. It starts with me, and not to talk about last year or anything, but it’s the same story. Towards the end of the season, we have to play better. We have to win this game to get a chance to move on, and that’s how every season is going to be in the NFL.”
To avoid suffering the same fate again in 2023, the Patriots must prioritize fixing their offense this offseason, starting from the top down. Bill Belichick’s controversial decision to have Matt Patricia call plays and Joe Judge coach quarterbacks was an abject failure. He needs to bring in an experienced, capable offensive mind to guide this group and recenter Jones’ development.
Former Patriots offensive coordinator/QBs coach Bill O’Brien stands out as an obvious choice to fill both roles, as his contract at Alabama is up and he reportedly is eyeing a return to the NFL. But with other teams potentially interested in O’Brien, as well, New England would need to move quickly on that hire.
