A troubling trend continued for the New England Patriots in Sunday's Week 5 showdown with the New Orleans Saints.
Third-year quarterback Mac Jones tossed a pick-six during the first quarter, picking up where he left off after turning the ball over three times vs. the Dallas Cowboys. In that blowout loss, two of Jones' turnovers resulted in touchdowns.
As ESPN's Mike Reiss noted Sunday, the Patriots have now been outscored 45-0 off turnovers this season. That's the worst point differential in the NFL and a complete 180 from the 2022 campaign, when they allowed 37 points off turnovers all year and led the NFL with a +77 points-off-turnover differential.
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Jones isn't the only offensive Patriots player responsible for that unflattering number, but he has been at the center of the team's struggles as of late. He's also tied with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for the most pick-sixes since 2021 with six, per Reiss.
Sunday's interception marked Jones' fourth career pick-six at Gillette Stadium. To put that into perspective, former Patriots QB Tom Brady threw four pick-sixes at Gillette in his entire career.
If Jones' turnover woes continue, it may not be long before we see backup QB Bailey Zappe take over. Zappe replaced Jones in the third quarter vs. Dallas and reportedly got more practice snaps than usual leading up to Sunday's game vs. New Orleans.
A loss to the Saints would bring the Patriots to 1-4 on the season.
