The Patriots are off to a 2-3 start in the Mac Jones era, and Rex Ryan is not impressed.
The ex-Jets head coach recently appeared on ESPN’s ‘Get Up!’ and was asked if New England is a playoff team. Ryan took the opportunity to trash his former rival and the Pats’ rookie quarterback.
“Hell no,” Ryan said. “Because you got a peashooter at quarterback? Give me a break right here. This team should’ve been beat by the Houston Texans. A playoff team? … No chance at this thing. Their defense is not as good as they’ve been.
”Hey, the ball travels down the field more than 15 yards? Uh-oh! That’s bad news for this guy. He’s closer to Danny Wuerffel than he is Tom Brady.”
Jones has been solid through his first five games, throwing for 1,243 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a 71.1 completion percentage and an average of 6.5 yards per throw. New England has taken a conservative approach to Jones’ development, limiting him to mostly short and intermediate throws while counting on the run and its defense.
That strategy has Bill Belichick’s squad off to a sub-.500 start, and New England nearly lost to a lowly Texans team in Week 5. The Pats managed to escape with a 25-22 win, but questions about their playoff aspirations remain after spending big in free agency.
