In the aftermath of Sunday’s 34-0 blowout loss to the Saints, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said the club will “start all over” to get things on the right track.
Whatever that entails, it apparently won’t be replacing starting quarterback Mac Jones.
Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that he’s anticipating Jones will be the starter this week when New England takes on Las Vegas.
Jones has played poorly in the last two games, with the Patriots being outscored by a combined 72-3 by the Cowboys and Saints. He’s completed 24-of-43 passes for 260 yards with four interceptions and two lost fumbles in the two contests.
O’Brien was asked if there might be a benefit to benching Jones for a proverbial mental break.
“There’s no time for mental breaks,” O’Brien said, via Zack Cox of NESN. “Those are on your days off, I guess, you can take a little mental break. It’s the grind of the season. In order to be in this league as a coach, as a player, as anybody in this league, you have to be mentally tough. There’s a grind that goes to the league. It’s a 17-week grind, and we all have to be mentally tough.
“The sun came up today. We’re going to practice today, and we’re going to get after it and be fundamentally sound today and see what happens tomorrow. One day at a time.”
Overall this year, Jones has completed 62.5 percent of his throws for 1,008 yards with five touchdowns and six picks. He’s averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt with a 74.2 passer rating.
“It’s not about one guy,” O’Brien said, “but as the quarterback you’re going to shoulder a lot of that, and he understands that. He’s working hard. He’s in here early, in here [Monday] trying to think about things to do better.
“We had a good fundamental meeting right here about half an hour ago. We’re ready to go for practice [Tuesday], take things one day at a time, and try to dig ourselves out of it.”