Nothing has gone right for the New England Patriots this season.
By win percentage and offensive stats alone, this has been Bill Belichick’s worst season in his 24-year career in New England.
The team is tied for the second-worst record in the NFL at 3-10, they have the 32nd-ranked scoring offense and quarterback Mac Jones ranks 27th in passing yards, 24th in passing touchdowns and third in interceptions.
Former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman pointed fingers at two people in his assessment of the Patriots’ failures: Jones and offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
“The lack of execution and the lack of development and growth in that relationship alone – that’s going to lose you games,” Edelman said on FanDuel TV’s Up & Adams show.
.@Edelman11 blames Mac Jones-Bill O’Brien for the Patriots disappointing season @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/vLeg5sJ1Gf
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) December 14, 2023
Jones’ stats have been awful in his third season with the Patriots, and it’s why Belichick benched him for backup Bailey Zappe this past week.
After a sensational Pro Bowl rookie season where Jones threw for 3,801 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, Jones has seen his per game averages drop from 223.6 passing yards per game in 2021 to 214.1 in 2022 to 192.7 in 2023.
Part of that can be pinned on coaching after Belichick replaced 2021 offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who left for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job, with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in 2022 and then replaced Patricia and Jones for O’Brien this year.
That lack of coaching continuity couldn’t have been good for Jones in only his third season.
But Jones is still ultimately the one who makes the decisions on the field and attempts the throws.
The Patriots will have a big decision this offseason with regards to Jones’ future and the coaching staffs’ future.
The post Julian Edelman Says He Blames 2 Patriots Figures For Disappointing Season appeared first on The Cold Wire.