Film study: Mac Jones deserves some of the blame for QB pressure and boring play calling for loss of Saints

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Let’s see how Jones can improve:

Protecting the quarterback is also on the quarterback, so you can move around and avoid trouble, or know where to go with the ball before the snap, or know when to throw the ball. It’s no coincidence that four of the least mobile quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers are among the five least sacked quarterbacks of the past five seasons. They know when and how to get out of trouble.

To be clear, the Patriots’ offensive line was not good on Sunday and struggled without right tackle Trent Brown. His replacement, Justin Herron, has been on the court far too often against the Saints, and the Patriots had to use a tight end or throwback to help Herron deal with pass rusher Cam Jordan.

But Jones also created his own pressure, with an inconsistent pocket consciousness and an inability to create clean throwing lanes.

The first sack of the game was a blitz from CJ Gardner-Johnson’s cornerback. The rush was initially well taken care of, and Jones had a ton of space outside the pocket if he could pull it off. But Jones instead stepped up the pressure and a sack.

Jones’ first interception was similar; the Patriots picked up the blitz first and Jones had room to throw, but he held the ball too long, the pressure eventually returned home and the ball floated to PJ Williams for an easy pick.

Jones had several throws that he couldn’t fully enter, and it looked like it was because he wasn’t hanging around and finding clean pitching windows.

Most alarming was a 14-yard sack from Tanon Kpassagnon early in the fourth quarter. The Saints sent out just four pass rushers, and Jones had formidable protection and a ton of room to look down and throw a pitch. But he held on too long, Kpassagnon finally broke free, and Jones wasn’t athletic enough to escape.

This game, with only a four-way run and great protection, shouldn’t have resulted in a 14-yard sack from Mac Jones.NFL / Globe Illustration

At worst this game should have been lost, but it got second and 5 in third and 19.

It’s only natural that, as a rookie, Jones would be confused by some covers, hold the ball too long, and make mistakes. What’s baffling is that the Patriots have one of the few young quarterbacks who don’t have the mobility to escape defenders and create improv pieces. This puts immense pressure on Jones to learn his pre-topping readings and how to attack the multitude of covers he faces in the NFL.

Some of the gambling appeals also concern Jones. On Sunday, I criticized McDaniels for being too conservative in the red zone; after getting the first and the 10-11, the Patriots called two runs to Brandon Bolden who were stuffed, then a swing pass to Jonnu Smith for 4 yards, and settled for a short field goal.

The first inning to Bolden felt like a designed call and the Patriots seemed to have blocked it, only to smell like linemen, but the second inning was a case of Jones alerting a pass to a run to the line. All of a sudden, the Patriots had a tight end (Smith) blocking Jordan, and the six-time Pro Bowler easily knocked Smith off and made the tackle for minus-1.

Jones must realize that a passing game on the second down is better than a second straight race at Bolden.

Then in third and 11, Jones had a clean pocket, faced only one run with four against six blockers, and two pass rushers fell to the ground. But Jones still quickly got the ball out of his hands and delivered a swing pass to Smith who had no chance of resulting in a touchdown.

Most quarterbacks in this situation would be more patient and try to create an off-schedule game if nothing developed. Jones must be less robotic.

The Saints sent home to Jones, especially in the first half. His 14 blitz pass attempts were the NFL’s second last week, and 10 of them came in the first half.

Jones excelled against the blitz against the Dolphins, but against the Saints, not so much. He completed 6 of 14 for 61 yards, with one touchdown, two interceptions and one sack. Williams ‘first interception and Malcolm Jenkins’ pick-6 both came against a five-man blitz. The Patriots also converted just 2 of 5 third-down attempts when the Saints sent the blitz.

But Jones had his moments against the blitz. One of his best throws of the day, Smith’s incomplete sideline, in which Jones pulled out of the run and threw running, was against a seven-man blitz. His 22-yard touchdown at Kendrick Bourne also collided with a six-man blitz in which Jordan again passed Herron and entered Joness’s face.

The Patriots were brutal on the first down, putting Jones in too many long-range situations. They gained 107 net yards on 28 first-down games (including a penalty), but 24 of those games only scored 28 total yards.

Among their first plays in the first half was a sack, a negative run from Damien Harris and 2 of 5 assists from Jones. In the second half, Jones threw his touchdown at Bourne on the first down, but was also just 5 for 12 assists, and the Patriots also had a hold penalty.

You can’t ignore the big plays, but the Patriots clearly need to be more consistent on the first try.

Unlike the Jets, the Patriots didn’t use a lot of playing action. And when they did, it was awful. Jones was 1 for 4 for less-1 yard, with a sack, a pick-6 and a 13-yard scrum.

Instead, McDaniels used the five-wide shotgun for much of the game to spread the defense horizontally. The Patriots also lined up running backs and tight ends to help Jones decipher whether the Saints were in men’s or zonal coverage.

When Alvin Kamaras took a touchdown in the first quarter, it looked like safety Kyle Dugger had blown up the cover. Kyle Van Noy and Matthew Judon were on zone coverage in the apartments, and Van Noy seemed to expect Dugger to be in the middle of the zone. But Dugger fled with the tight end of the men’s blanket, leaving the midfield wide open.

During Alvin Kamara’s touchdown (circled), it looked like Kyle Dugger was in men’s cover with the close end while he was supposed to be in the zone, patrolling midfield. NFL / Globe Illustration

On the punt block, a Saints source said he noticed Patriots special team Brandon King was beaten to the Jets on an inside move and nearly cleared a punt block. The Saints believed King would overprotect on the inside, so instead, the Saints sent a delayed twist on the outside to confuse King and Dugger. When Andrew Dowell got to the edge, Dugger and King figured the other guy would take him, giving Dowell a way of the bettor.

It was the second of three games this year the Patriots have been sloppy and struggled with self-inflicted errors. There were the Smith drops, one of which led to a pick-6. In the fourth false start and 1 over Hunter Henry, Jakobi Meyers also jumped, and it appeared that most of the offense missed the instantaneous pace. And in Taysom Hills’ decisive touchdown, the Patriots had just 10 defensemen on the field.

If we were talking about the Patriots who need to improve quickly, Bill Belichick is at the top of the list.

Ben Volin can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin.

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