Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders marked yet another lackluster day for the New England Patriots offense.
With Kendrick Bourne (torn ACL) and DeVante Parker (concussion) sidelined, the Patriots' receiving corps was led by rookie sixth-rounder Demario "Pop" Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Reagor, and Tyquan Thornton. Not exactly murderers' row.
Jones' lone touchdown pass in the 20-17 loss went to tight end Hunter Henry. He finished 24-of-44 for 220 yards, one TD, and an interception on the Patriots' final play of the game. The pick wasn't Jones' fault as it bounced off Smith-Schuster's hands and into the arms of Commanders cornerback Jartavius Martin.
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It was a frustrating day from start to finish for Jones, who expressed that frustration on multiple occasions during the defeat. After the game, he was asked how he feels about his chemistry with his receivers and his ability to make plays with the weapons he has at his disposal.
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"Yeah, I think that's a great point," Jones answered. "It's just a lot of different guys each week, but at the same time, we have a great standard that we set. It's just trying to go do it every play. I think there's guys out there who can make the plays and it's my job to get the ball to them, and I have a lot of confidence in Jalen (Reagor), Tyquan (Thornton), Pop (Douglas), Mike (Gesicki), JuJu (Smith-Schuster), all those guys.
"Obviously, DP (DeVante Parker) wasn't there today, but the whole group is very much so close together, and they work really hard. It's not like we're not on the same page, it's just, we're really close. We're right there, we're just a little bit short."
Jones hasn't helped his cause at times this season, but some of his struggles can be attributed to his receivers not getting consistent separation. Does the third-year signal-caller feel like he needs to be perfect to overcome the lack of playmakers around him?
"Like I talked about, there is no excuses," he said. "It's hard to compare to other people, other teams. We have a standard here and at the end of the day, we need to meet that standard and execute the best we can for me as a quarterback and all that stuff.
"That's a great point, but at the same time we're always gonna focus on us and what we can do better, and the things we need to improve and what I need to improve and all that stuff. But yeah, that's a good question."
Jones' usage of "that's a great point" and "that's a good question" is the major takeaway from his postgame press conference. While he was quick to say he felt confident in his wideouts, he seemed to acknowledge that the chemistry hasn't been there with the group this season.
Our Patriots insider Phil Perry believes the trust between Jones and his receivers isn't there, because the makeshift group of wideouts hasn't earned that trust.
"Trust is a word that Mac Jones has been using going all the way back to training camp," Perry said on Patriots Postgame Live. "He said, 'That's the big word for this training camp for me. It's not always going to go great, but we have to build the reps together, and I want to try to take guys with me, and that way we can develop trust and that'll carry us through the 2023 season.'
"It obviously hasn't gone that way, and to me, I would say one of the primary reasons is because they simply don't have enough in the way of playmakers to be able to make consistent plays late in these games in one-score games. ... They don't have enough offensively in terms of their weaponry to be able to compete with really anyone, all the way from the Eagles down to the lowly, clearly-tanking Commanders."
Jones and Co. will look to bounce back next Sunday when they take on the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.