Mac Jones benched again as Saints shut out Patriots: Is Bill Belichick on the hot seat?

Quarterback Mac Jones was benched in the second half of a blowout for the second straight week as the New England Patriots lost 34-0 to the New Orleans Saints. Here’s what you need to know:

Jones’ struggles started early, as he threw an NFL-leading third pick six midway through the first quarter. He threw another interception in the third quarter and ended his day 12-of-22 passing for 110 yards before he was replaced by Bailey Zappe early in the fourth.
The Patriots pulled Jones in the third quarter of their blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys a week ago after he completed 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. New England coach Bill Belichick said after that game Jones wasn’t benched because of his performance and would be the starter going forward.
The Patriots posted 156 yards of total offense against the Saints, while New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr went 18-of-26 passing for 183 yards and two touchdowns.
New England’s last touchdown came in the second quarter of their Week 3 win over the New York Jets.
Belichick confirmed Jones would be New England’s starter going forward. “Yeah, there are a lot of problems. Certainly wasn’t all him,” the coach said.

TYRANN PICK-6!!!@Mathieu_Era takes it to the house! #Saints | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/NcLqKhCBlD

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 8, 2023

What went wrong for New England

The Patriots were hopeful that Sunday’s game against the Saints was the perfect opportunity to prove they were better than their public perception after a disastrous start to the season. They thought the Saints’ man-to-man defense would yield Jones an opportunity to know what was coming and make quick decisions. And they thought a New Orleans offense that hadn’t scored 20 points all season would be a good antidote for a defense trying to overcome injuries to Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez.

Instead, just about everything went wrong for New England to start Sunday. Jones threw his second pick six in as many games and the Saints have had no issues moving the ball against Belichick’s defense. — Chad Graff, Patriots writer

What’s next for the Patriots?

Pressure ramps up now on Belichick. Yes, he helped orchestrate two different dynasties here in New England and is a big reason why six Super Bowl banners hang at this stadium. But he’s also a big reason why they’re now one of the worst teams in the NFL. This offseason, he hardly allocated any additional resources to a struggling offense that is now the biggest weakness of his team, he oversees a defense that struggled Sunday against a bad Saints offense and even the special teams that he prizes is having issues.

Since Tom Brady fled for Tampa Bay, Belichick and the Patriots have a 26-30 record including the playoffs. This season, they’re devolving from mediocrity into a miserable team that’s been blown out in back-to-back weeks.

New England has a problem at the game’s most important position. For the second straight week, Jones was benched in the midst of a blowout. In the last two games, Jones has completed 24 of 43 passes for no touchdowns, four interceptions (including two pick sixes) and fumble on a play that was returned for a defensive touchdown.

Zappe wasn’t much better in his place, so it’s not clear the Patriots have an obvious answer for who should be playing the position. But without better play there, they aren’t going to win many games. — Graff

Calming nerves in New Orleans

This win for the Saints might calm some nerves in New Orleans. There’s no doubting how restless Who Dats in New Orleans had become in the past couple of weeks. The Saints surrendered a 17-point fourth-quarter lead in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers and barely showed up in an ugly Week 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But this was an all-encompassing smackdown of the Patriots by the Saints. The offense played its best game in the Carr era. The defense suffocated Jones and company. And even rookie kicker Blake Grupe drilled 54- and 53-yard field goals in windy conditions at Gillette Stadium.

Sunday’s win keeps New Orleans well within the NFC South conversation. — Larry Holder, NFL senior writer

Not huge, but quite effective Saints offense

Carr’s numbers weren’t huge, but there’s no doubt this was his most effective game with the Saints in five starts. The quarterback showed no noticeable ill effects, unlike last week, with his right shoulder injury. New Orleans also took care of the football with no turnovers. Alvin Kamara and company helped the ground game come to life.

The 21 first-half points were the most scored by the Saints since they scored 21 points against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15 last season. The last time the New Orleans scored more than 21 points was Week 11 last season in a win over the Los Angeles Rams. The last time the Saints scored 21 points in the first half was against the Falcons in Week 18 in the 2021 season. — Holder

Saints defense back to normal

After a blip on the radar in last week’s loss to the Bucs, the Saints defense returned to its stout reputation by absolutely chewing up and spitting out the Patriots offense. Tyrann Mathieu picked off Jones and returned it for a touchdown and Pete Werner also added an interception.

Cam Jordan scooped up a fumble on a botched pitch to Rhamondre Stevenson. Carl Granderson picked up a sack and three tackles for a loss (he hit Jones to force the Mathieu interception). New Orleans forced a second consecutive week where New England had to bench Jones. — Holder

Key stat

Jones’ first-quarter pick six was his fourth at Gillette Stadium, matching Brady’s career total, per ESPN Stats & Info.

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(Photo: Bob DeChiara / USA Today)