Mastrodonato: Mac Jones wasn’t the problem for the Patriots, but he’ll need to do more in 2022

Maybe if Nelson Agholor was able to beat Micah Hyde and Mac Jones’ pass wasn’t intercepted on the Patriots’ first drive on Saturday night, we might be talking about the quarterback differently.

But probably not.

Because on the next drive, the Patriots didn’t even let Jones throw the ball. They went three and out with three straight run plays.

By the time Jones got to throw another pass after the interception, the Pats were down 20-0 and it was no longer OK to keep the ball on the ground. The game was now on his shoulders.

Obviously, that’s exactly the spot the Patriots were hoping to avoid as they ended up getting routed in a 47-17 defeat that will be difficult to shake off.

And as the season came to an abrupt end, we’re still wondering if Jones is going to be the quarterback who gets the Patriots back to the top of the AFC, or if he’s just an average thrower who will never be able to compete with the other high-powered offenses in the league.

While Jones wasn’t making much of an impact for the Pats’ sluggish offense, Josh Allen was showing off as he exploded for five passing touchdowns and an almost-perfect quarterback rating of 157.6.

Obviously, Jones is far from Allen’s caliber. And while we saw plenty of poise and development from the Alabama product in his rookie year with the Patriots, questions remain about his decision-making, arm strength and ability to lead a team from behind.

A lot will depend on the weapons Bill Belichick can provide him with, because it was again clear on Saturday that there aren’t enough.

Kendrick Bourne (seven catches, 77 yards and two touchdowns) looks like the real deal and a bargain signing for three years and just $15 million. Hunter Henry (one catch, 30 yards) has been a reliable red zone target. But there wasn’t another player on offense who looked threatening.

On first and 10 from the 50 on the Pats’ first possession, Jones found Brandon Bolden wide open about 30 yards downfield and hit him in the chest, but Bolden dropped it. The next play, Jakobi Myers corralled a tipped ball into his hands, but he dropped that one too.

When there were key yards to pick up, it was unclear who Jones could rely on.

On third and long after two straight drops, Jones had to pick up 16 yards on his feet with a scramble that included several jukes and revealed a mobile style of play we have rarely seen from him this year.

But the next play, when Agholor beat his man and broke free down the left sideline, Jones didn’t put enough juice on a rainbow pass toward the pylon. And while Agholor saw the ball the entire way, Hyde cut the route and made a ridiculous grab before he crashed into the end zone with an interception.

A more aggressive receiver might’ve noticed it was underthrown and leaped up to make a play. The Pats probably haven’t had a receiver who could do that since Rob Gronkowski.

Regardless, it looked like Jones was decisive and in-command on that opening drive. The Bills wanted to pressure him early and sent six rushers on the Pats’ first passing play, but Jones hung in the pocket and timed a curl route perfectly to Bourne for a big gain. Twice he escaped the pocket to extend the play and create a 30-yard pass to Henry and a 16-yard run for himself. The pass to Agholor wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad, either.

And yet still, the Pats called three run plays on the next drive and never gave Jones a chance. Not soon will we forget the three passes they let him throw in Buffalo earlier this season.

How long will it take for the Pats to trust their quarterback? The offense still looks like it’s built for Tom Brady, but Jones doesn’t have the accuracy, strength or awareness to pick apart quality defenses.

He got better than he was early in the year, though. And while he’s still not much better than an average quarterback in the NFL, teams can win with average quarterbacks.

The Patriots didn’t. After the way they faded down the stretch during the regular season and got smoked in Buffalo to wrap things up, it’s hard to feel good about this team.

The Pats don’t have an offense that can go toe-to-toe with the Bills, Chiefs and Bengals.

Jones didn’t play poorly, but if you lose by 30 points and the quarterback isn’t the problem, that’s a problem in itself.