FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Patriots gave up.
Down 24-0 early within the second half, listening to boos at house like they used to on the highway, every week after the worst lack of coach Invoice Belichick’s profession, with quarterback Mac Jones on his technique to the bench for the second straight recreation, the Patriots punted the ball away on a fourth-and-3 inside Saints territory.
The transfer netted New England 27 yards — a minor flip of area place that completed nothing. Two extra punts and an interception — his second — later, Jones was changed by Bailey Zappe, bringing out one of many few cheers of the day.
“Clearly it wasn’t actually good and everybody’s annoyed,” Jones stated after the 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints. “In fact we’re annoyed. On the finish of the day, it’s important to flip that into motion.”
Every week after a 38-3 loss to Dallas that established an all-time low for Belichick, the Patriots could have topped it with the most important house shutout within the once-proud franchise’s historical past. The one time the group was blanked worse: a 52-0 loss to the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins.
These have been most decidedly not the ’72 Dolphins.
New Orleans (3-2) beat Tennessee and Carolina — a pair of last-place groups — by a mixed 4 factors, and adopted that with losses to the Packers and Buccaneers. However the Saints discovered a technique to snap their two-game shedding streak: a visit to New England, which fell to 1-4 for the primary time since Belichick’s first season in 2000.
“Clearly it was a poor efficiency right here at this time,” Belichick stated in a largely inaudible postgame information convention that started with him reducing two microphones and taking one off the stand utterly. “Sluggish begin. We simply couldn’t get the sport beneath management.”
Jones completed 12-of-22 passing for 110 yards and two interceptions — one among them a pick-6 the place he was hit whereas throwing the ball, the opposite went out and in of a receiver’s fingers. His 30.5 passer score was the second worst of his profession.
Issues began out poorly, and by no means improved.
New England’s first possession ended with a three-and-out, and the second ended when Tyrann Mathieu picked Jones off and ran it in from the Patriots 27. Their subsequent drive was their longest — seven performs for 49 yards — and it ended with a missed 48-yard area purpose.
His remaining possessions: Punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt, interception.
“We don’t need to rating zero factors. It’s not the purpose,” stated Jones, who has regressed since a rookie season during which he outplayed the 4 quarterbacks drafted earlier than him and earned a visit to the Professional Bowl. “We didn’t rating any factors. That’s the vital half: scoring factors.”
Jones has 5 landing passes in 5 video games this season however has additionally given up scores on three interceptions and a fumble. His 4 pick-6s in 19 video games at Gillette Stadium are as many as Tom Brady threw within the constructing within the common season in his 18 years.
Requested if Jones was nonetheless the starter heading into subsequent week’s recreation in opposition to Las Vegas and longtime Patriots assistant coach Josh McDaniel, Belichick stated: “There have been loads of issues, it actually wasn’t all him.”
Zappe wasn’t significantly better, overthrowing open receivers and failing to earn a primary down in 4 possessions whereas finishing 3 of 9 passes for 22 yards. And when the Patriots did go for it on fourth down twice fourth quarter, they couldn’t convert then, both.
“We put rather a lot into every week, and to go on the market and never put your finest foot ahead is hard,” middle David Andrews stated. “Can’t lay down; can’t stop; lengthy yr. We’re going to come back again in and return to work. That’s all I understand how to do.”
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