Quarterback far from the only disaster area for Patriots
The New England Patriots' dire quarterback situation — highlighted by Mac Jones' alarming regression — has dominated sports headlines, but the 2-8 team has many other concerns.
For one, New England's secondary — once a franchise cornerstone — is falling apart.
Top cornerbacks Marcus Jones and Christian Gonzalez are out for the season with injuries. On Monday, New England released cornerback Jack Jones, who fell out of favor with head coach Bill Belichick for on- and off-field issues. J.C. Jackson, meanwhile, is also in Belichick's doghouse — he didn't even travel to Germany for the 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
In a 20-17 loss to the Commanders on Nov. 5, Jack Jones and Jackson played sparingly as Sam Howell torched the secondary for 325 yards — the most the Patriots have allowed all season.
The absence of the two has resulted in the Patriots instead playing corner Shaun Wade opposite Jonathan Jones. He is reliable, but Wade has little NFL experience.
The offensive line is also in a terrible spot. Starting tackle Trent Brown is dealing with a knee injury that forced him to miss Sunday's game. According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, he is "habitually late" to team affairs, so perhaps he'll be the next starter benched for off-field issues.
The Patriots can't afford for Brown to miss extended time — whether it be a result of his injury or lateness. The offensive line — specifically tackle — is atrocious without him.
On Sunday, the Colts had five sacks of Jones, who had little time to throw or read the field. Had his protection been better, the outcome might have been different.
To win in the second half, New England must fix its QB situation, but how? In limited playing time, No. 1 backup Bailey Zappe has completed only 40% of his 25 passes. The other backups — Will Grier and Malik Cunningham — aren't long-term options at the position.
The Patriots aren't 2-8 solely because of Jones' struggles, but without a quarterback playing at least competently, a team has little chance to win in the NFL. The good news for New England is it doesn't have another game until Week 12, when it plays at the New York Giants (2-8), who may be in worse shape than the Patriots.
More must-reads: