As the New England Patriots turn the page on a tumultuous 2023 season marked by a disappointing 4-13 record, the franchise is in the midst of a complete rebuild.
The Patriots welcomed Jerod Mayo as their new head coach, the 15th in franchise history.
This transition is an important moment for the team and sets a new direction for the future.Most of the disappointment surrounding the Patriots’ 2023 season came from one position. defender. The team’s two quarterbacks have struggled a lot and haven’t been the most productive in the league, both collectively and individually. Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s delve into the film and analyze the performance of each quarterback last season.
The Patriots value running backs Mac Jones and Bailey Jab for the 2023 season.
Mac Jones: F
Mack Jones’ 2023 season was a huge disappointment by any measure. He declined sharply every year while in the NFL. To be honest, he deserved it because the lack of talent around him lowered expectations.
After a promising campaign, Jones had a down year in 2022 as the team went 8-9 on the year and missed the playoffs. After opening the 2023 season by throwing three touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mack Jones quickly had a string of disappointing performances. We haven’t seen a player this year come into the league as a linebacker and be able to not only “get the ball out without a threat” but also “leave the receiver wide open.” Jones completed 224 of 345 passes for 2,120 yards and 10 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. And judging by the games he played, he could have made a few more. This regression was not just statistical. He showed in every game, was always hesitant and constantly showed that he can’t read the defense.
He developed an annoying habit of throwing off his back foot, which made his game even more difficult. In the end, it all ended with Jones being benched in favor of Bailey Zappé. Jones’ tilt was not a sudden decision. In fact, many fans and members of the media questioned why the team continued to start Jones after he finished in the top three. He looked shaky in various aspects throughout the season and it showed in his play.
As so many times, the quarterback made a bad throw due to non-threatening pressure. Or he doubts himself and misses the perfect opening to make a play. Despite having the best defense in the league, they couldn’t overcome their mistakes. Bailey Jaffe: DThe emergence of Bailey Zappé as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots was one of the few highlights of a difficult season for the team. While Jones struggled, Zappe took center stage and showed flashes of potential that showed he could lead the way.
However, his overall performance, like Jones’, was inconsistent, leading the team to just one win as a starter. Zappé’s 19-of-28 performance for 240 yards and three touchdowns in that win was a clear reflection of the inconsistency of his time as the starter. His performance against the Steelers in Week 14 was impressive overall, but it’s even more impressive when you consider that his 196 yards and three touchdowns all came in the first half. He had 107 passing yards on 14 completions and averaged a 0.48 EPA per game in a very impressive first half. After the break, it looked like another defender would come out in the second half.
Zappé only threw the ball eight times in the second half. He completed just 5 of 44 yards. To make matters worse, Zappé managed just one of his five completions beyond the line of scrimmage. The Patriots had more passing yards than their total in the second half of this game. (48/44Beyond the numbers: Why does context matter?Looking at the numbers, it may seem odd that Zappé is rated higher than Jones. In the end, Jones had a slightly better statistical season.
However, expectations are an important factor in performance appraisal. At the start of the season, Zappé didn’t have many expectations. Of course, I’m the 15th overall pick. In addition to the expectations, the talent around them also had a huge impact on their game.
The team was without its best player on the roster and lost its best player to a torn ACL in Week 8 of the season. Combined with a weak offensive line suffering from multiple injuries, neither quarterback was in a good position.
That doesn’t change the fact that the two quarterbacks have combined to hold the Patriots to the fewest points per game in the league. This attack was in the bottom three of the top ten attack categories. We cover everything from point of possession and fourth down conversion rates to points per pass and points per game. No quarterback is perfect in this regard.
