After talking to several players inside the Patriots locker room, Phil Perry explains why they’re frustrated with the offensive approach against the Bills
Kendrick Bourne empathizes with the frustration New England Patriots fans feel while watching the offense this season.
The Patriots wide receiver voiced his thoughts on the offense's struggles after Thursday night's 24-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. He stressed the need for the offense to throw the ball downfield, which he acknowledges has been difficult for quarterback Mac Jones to do behind a depleted offensive line.
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"We gotta get the ball downfield," Bourne told reporters in the locker room after the defeat. "I think Mac needs more time. He’s obviously running around, so it’s hard to get the ball downfield when you don't really have time to throw. No knock to the line, it's just what we need to work on. The receivers can't do anything if the ball can't get downfield. If we can't throw it past five yards, it's just going to be a long game.
"We have plays but we can't get to them. We're calling them, but it's not working. ... Hopefully we can get Mac more time so he can make the plays."
New England was just 3-for-12 on third down in Thursday's loss. Jones' frustration with the play-calling was clear when he was seen on the sideline shouting "throw the f---ing ball."
Bourne seems to side with his quarterback.
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“Yeah, man, we need to scheme up better. We need to know what they’re doing. We need to know what they wanna do on third down," he said. "They call this, and we call that, and it falls right into what they want.”
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Jones finished with 195 passing yards -- 48 of which came on Marcus Jones' catch on a screen that resulted in the Patriots' only touchdown of the game. That will never get the job done against Josh Allen and the high-powered Bills offense. Matt Patricia and Co. have to find a way make the offense look the way it did last week in Minnesota on a more consistent basis.
New England will need to bounce back next week against the Arizona Cardinals, otherwise a playoff spot will slip even further away.
