Patriots-Saints film review: Mac Jones looks as broken as his offense

The Patriots offense is unequivocally, fundamentally, horribly, plainly and irretrievably broken.

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The Pats have scored three points in their last two games. They haven’t scored a touchdown in 34 straight drives. They’ve set up camp inside the red zone just once since Week 2.

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According to advanced metrics, the Patriots own the NFL’s worst pass offense and its worst rush offense. Mac Jones has been benched in two straight games and allowed Zach Wilson to lap him as a functioning NFL quarterback. Somehow, between the two of them, Jones is now the skittish and erratic ticking turnover bomb.

Jones can’t help himself. He’s already thrown as many pick-sixes at Gillette Stadium as Tom Brady did. Not that Jones is solely responsible for the disaster around him.

The Patriots’ offensive line allows the most pressure in the league. Their wideouts generate the least amount of separation, per Next Gen Stats, while star running back Rhamondre Stevenson is breaking tackles at a 33% lower rate than he did last season.

And yet the most damning part of Sunday’s 34-0 home shutout, the largest in franchise history that by itself seemed to break Jones as a player and any remaining belief in coach Bill Belichick, was the lack of fight.

The Saints punked the Patriots. Coming off a 35-point defeat in Dallas, a complete disgrace by every metric and measure, the Pats suffered an even greater humiliation in their own stadium. New Orleans steamrolled them, manhandling Belichick’s defensive front and knifing through his offensive line.

The Saints didn’t need a miracle to make history in Foxboro. They simply waited for Jones to implode, then bullied the rest of his shell-shocked team. New Orleans hit again and again and again, before finally granting the Patriots the only allowable mercy in the NFL: kneeling the clock out.

Of course, the game was over long before then. Belichick surrendered with 9:55 left in the third quarter when he called for the punt team instead of attempting to convert fourth-and-3. The Patriots trailed by 24 at New Orleans’ 40-yard line, as fine a launching pad as any for a comeback, especially considering the Pats never saw that field position again.

Belichick quit on that drive and the game; a choice his players might soon make for him if they continue to be humiliated much longer.

Here’s what else film revealed about Sunday’s loss:

Mac Jones

12-of-22 for 110 yards, 2 INTs, 2 sacks

Accurate throw percentage: 57.1%

Under pressure: 4-of-8 for 40 yards, INT, 2 sacks

Against the blitz: 3-of-3 for 16 yards

Behind the line: 2-of-2 for 5 yards

0-9 yards downfield: 6-of-8 for 24 yards

10-19 yards downfield: 3-of-8 for 57 yards

20+ yards downfield: 1-of-3 for 24 yards

Notes: Another calamitous performance.

Jones killed the Pats’ first series with two overthrows against man coverage. His pick-six on the second drive tipped us off this would be another game where he crumbled under pressure. On the Patriots’ third possession, Jones hit his longest pass of the day, a 24-yarder to Demario Douglas, then was intimidated into a short completion on third-and-long because of blitz pressure.

The Saints returned to man-to-man coverage on the next third-and-long snaps, both unanswered sideline prayers from Jones to DeVante Parker that ended drives. One was a near pick. In the third quarter, Jones threw another near interception that was batted at the line. Around that throw, he rushed into checkdowns while other targets sprang open downfield.

Aside from snaps when he was well-protected and faced zone coverage, he completely turtled. Jones didn’t see the field well, and when he did, trouble still followed.

On his last dropback, a tipped interception late in the third quarter, Jones stared down intended receiver Ty Montgomery. He led the Saints secondary directly to Montgomery’s deep crossing route and another turnover. Jones is a flatly broken passer.

Critical areas

• Turnovers: Patriots 3, Saints 0
• Explosive play rate: Patriots 3.9%, Saints 5.7%
• Success rate: Patriots 22%, Saints 37%
• Red-zone efficiency: Patriots 0-0, Saints 3-4
• Defensive pressure rate: Patriots 24.1%, Saints 39.4%

Offense

Author’s note: The following personnel and play-calling statistics only capture drives led by Mac Jones, who was benched facing a 31-point deficit with 13:03 remaining.

Game plan

• Personnel breakdown: 79% of snaps in 11 personnel, 18% snaps in 12 personnel, 3% in 21 personnel.***
• Personnel production: 3.9 yards/play in 11 personnel, 1.7 yards/play in 12 personnel, 0 yards/play in 21 personnel.
• First-down down play-calls: 65% pass (6.3 yards per play), 35% run (3.0 yards per play)
• Play-action rate: 21.2%

Player stats

• Broken tackles: Rhamondre Stevenson, Ezekiel Elliott
• Pressure allowed: LG Atonio Mafi 4 (sack, QB hit, 2 hurries), RT Vederian Lowe 3 (QB hit, 2 hurries), LT Trent Brown 2 (sack, hurry), C David Andrews 1 (QB hit), RG Riley Reiff 1 (hurry), Team 1 (QB hit)
• Run stuffs allowed: LT Trent Brown, C David Andrews, RT Vederian Lowe, Team
• Penalties: WR Kendrick Bourne (false start x2), RB Ty Montgomery (illegal shift), ST Matthew Slater (illegal block, illegal touch on a punt)
• Drops: None

Notes

• Were it not for Jones’ benching and the ongoing, historic ineptitude, the story Sunday would be how the Patriots lost their highest-paid receiver (JuJu Smith-Schuster), most explosive player (Demario Douglas) and top offensive lineman (right guard Mike Onwenu) to injury.
• Without them, it becomes increasingly likely this offense has yet to hit rock bottom and could sink even further this weekend at Las Vegas. Last season, Jones played his worst game of the season versus the Raiders, another man-heavy defense that disguises well. But that’s if he starts this weekend.
• It’s possible Belichick will turn to Bailey Zappe for a change of pace or to send a message to the rest of the roster that Jones’ continued turnover woes are unacceptable. If he does, there is no evidence Zappe will offer an improvement.
• Zappe has thrown an accurate pass on 41.2% of his attempts this season, per Pro Football Focus, the lowest figure in the NFL. On Sunday, he also finished with a lower success rate and expected QBR than Jones.
• It’s worth remembering Patriots also cut Zappe just six weeks ago after a disappointing summer, and have cycled through several backups since (Matt Corral, Ian Book and Will Grier) to light a fire under him. In that time, Zappe’s inaccuracy and decision-making don’t appear to have improved.
• Whoever’s under center, he will need Bill O’Brien to help the receivers unstick themselves from man coverage. Against the Saints, the Patriots’ passing offense went 3-of-13 for 15 yards, an interception, one sack and zero first downs versus man-to-man.
• This continues a troubling trend for a receiving corps that can’t shake 1-on-1 matchups consistently enough, though Jones’ erratic play and poor protection also factored in to those numbers.
• One of Jones’ completions against man-to-man, a 1-yard flat throw to Smith-Schuster that opened the second half, highlighted two fundamental problems for this offense: Jones’ lack of chemistry with a top receiver and the fact the Pats are bungling basic concepts.

• O’Brien called a “Dragon” or “slant-flat,” a two-man concept where the slot receiver darts into the flat and the perimeter receiver runs a criss-crossing slant route. Jones finished his 3-step drop on time, then strangely hesitated, which allowed Smith-Schuster’s defender to recover and crack him at the end of a 1-yard gain.
• On a prior snap, Smith-Schuster took extra steps on a curl route as he pitter-pattered his way upfield, which disrupted the timing of the play forced Jones to look elsewhere.
• The inability to execute basic passing concepts on time is one of the many reasons O’Brien’s offense has come overly simplified. Another?

• Horrible line play. Up front, roughly one-quarter of designed run plays again went for negative yards or no gain. The Pats attempted to get Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott on the perimeter with a few pin-and-pull runs that had center David Andrews and the playside offensive tackle on the move to lead block.
• Except these plays, like their more common runs, went nowhere. And now that Elliott and Stevenson rank among the league’s worst backs at forcing missed tackles, the Patriots’ running game has gone as dark as their passing game.
• Of note: some of these designs asked tight end Pharaoh Brown to handle a defensive end 1-on-1. Bad idea.

• Among other items on their immediate to-do list, the Patriots need a new right tackle because no suitable starter appears to be on the roster. Making Calvin Anderson, who started the season opener, a healthy scratch pregame indicates the staff sees him as their fourth-best option at tackle, now that Riley Reiff is back on the active roster.
• Not that Reiff has even had time to play tackle. He replaced Onwenu at right guard in the first half, then spelled rookie left guard Atonio Mafi for a small stretch.
• Mafi played his worst game as a pro, and together with Cole Strange has made the left guard position as troubling as right tackle.

Defense

Game plan

• Personnel breakdown: 40% three-safety nickel package, 28% base, 16% three-corner nickel, 15% dime, 1% goal-line.****
• Coverage snaps breakdown: 71% zone, 29% man
• Blitz rate: 31%
• Blitz efficacy: 9.8 yards allowed per dropback

Player stats

• Interceptions: None
• Pass deflections: CB Shaun Wade
• Pressure: LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (sack), DB Myles Bryant (sack)
• Run stuffs: None
• Missed tackles: DL Keion White 2, LB Ja’Whaun Bentley, S Kyle Dugger, S Adrian Phillips, OLB Anfernee Jennings, DL Christian Barmore, DL Sam Roberts
• Penalties: DL Christian Barmore (holding)

Notes

• Before Sunday, the Saints hadn’t scored a touchdown on 20 straight possessions. They ranked among the NFL’s worst red-zone teams. The Pats cured them of both those issues.
• On its third drive, New Orleans pounded its way to the end zone with three straight run plays that began with a first-and-goal snap from the Patriots’ 8-yard line. The Saints were simply unafraid.
• They’d slipped on their first two possessions, with a Jimmy Graham drop on third down and a blown assignment in blitz pickup that would have negated Ja’Whaun Bentley’s sack on the first drive. Bentley flew right by a fullback that had been positioned in the exact gap he blitzed.
• After Bentley’s sack, quarterback Derek Carr enjoyed a roomy pocket virtually all afternoon. The Saints allowed just four hurries, and a Myles Bryant coverage sack that should have been avoided with a throwaway after 3.5 seconds in the pocket.
• Otherwise, Carr went 5-of-9 for 88 yards against the blitz and couldn’t be bothered by a four-man rush. The Pats missed Matt Judon dearly, as new lead pass rusher Josh Uche tallied just one hurry. As a defense, they’ve failed to crack a 25% pressure rate in back-to-back games.
• In the secondary, newly-reacquired cornerback J.C. Jackson played 36 snaps. The Patriots rotated him in after Jonathan Jones and Myles Bryant earned the starting nods.

• Jackson looked a half-step slower from his last stint in Foxboro, when he ranked among the leagues’ best corners. The Saints comfortably took 1-on-1 shots against him and all of the Patriots’ corners, including a long throw to Chris Olave where Olave only landed one foot inbounds.
• Veteran safety Adrian Phillips got exposed on a few snaps, taking a stiff arm from Taysom Hill on an extended run play and losing an angle on other catch-and-run plays. He’s yet to play more than 20 snaps in a game.
• The Patriots were forced to play more base defense (3-4 personnel) while the Saints successfully ran the clock out over the second half. New Orleans attacked this group through the air and powered through it before puncturing a goal-line package on its touchdown.
• Rough game for Bentley in coverage. Worse outing for rookie Keion White and defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Lawrence Guy, who got pushed around.
• Sixth-round rookie cornerback Ameer Speed, a core special teamer, saw his first defensive snaps of the season in the second half.

Studs

N/A

Duds

Offense

A complete and utter calamity.

Defense

The traditional stats fail to capture how New Orleans controlled play against Belichick’s. Short runs, long throws, the Saints played the exact clock-killing game they wanted.

Special teams

Penalties, a missed field goal and a muffed punt. Hey, at least they didn’t get fooled on a fake extra point this time.

Statistics for passing depth, broken tackles and missed tackles courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

*Explosive plays are defined as runs of 10-plus yards and passes of 20-plus yards. Explosive play rate is one of the most strongly correlated metrics with wins and losses.

**Success rate is an efficiency metric measuring how often an offense stayed on schedule. A play is successful when it gains at least 40% of yards-to-go on first down, 60% of yards-to-go on second down and 100% of yards-to-go on third or fourth down.

***11 personnel = one running back, one tight end; 12 personnel = one running back, two tight ends; 13 personnel = one running back, three tight ends; 21 = two halfbacks, one tight end; 22 = two halfbacks, two tight ends.  

****Base defense = four defensive backs; nickel defense = five defensive backs; dime defense = six defensive backs; goal-line defense = three defensive backs; dollar defense = seven defensive backs.