NFL executives, coach blast Patriots after latest blowout loss

Last week, an unnamed NFL executive shared concerns about New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones following New England's 38-3 loss at the Dallas Cowboys. 

Multiple knowledgeable individuals ripped the Patriots, as a whole, coming off their 34-0 defeat against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon that dropped New England to 1-4.

"Quite simply, they have no talent," an anonymous AFC executive told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. "And it doesn’t help that that’s at the quarterback spot as well." 

Jones was benched for the second consecutive game after he completed just 12-of-22 pass attempts for 110 yards and two interceptions versus New Orleans. While head coach Bill Belichick said on Sunday he's sticking with Jones as the starter for this coming Sunday's game at the Las Vegas Raiders, some believe Belichick's seat is heating up ahead of Halloween. 

According to ESPN stats, Jones began Monday ranked 26th in the NFL among qualified players with a 40.4 adjusted QBR on the season. He matched five touchdown passes with six interceptions over the campaign's first five games. 

"The offensive line is bad, they can’t protect Mac, and Mac can’t move," an NFC executive said about the Patriots while speaking with Breer. "They have no speed on offense at the skill positions. They used to have guys that could win one-on-one matchups; they don’t have any of those guys anymore." 

New England waived backup Bailey Zappe after the preseason but ultimately re-signed him and Zappe saw mop-up action in each of the past two games. Logic suggests Zappe could start against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7 if Jones produces yet another dud at the Raiders. 

"They look extremely low on talent, to be honest," one NFC coach added about the Patriots. "They have a pretty vanilla plan from what I can tell. An average-at-best QB only exacerbates those issues. They aren’t exactly world-beaters on defense now either." 

If not for the play of New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson against the Patriots in Week 3, New England could be at 0-5 following the club's latest debacle. As of Monday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Patriots as three-point underdogs for Sunday's game at the Raiders.