The New England Patriots put together an aggressive game plan for their first half against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mac Jones and Josh McDaniels were trying to go for the kill, with deep shots and fourth-down conversion attempts. McDaniels was committed — overly so — to relying upon Jones.
It wasn’t pretty. But it wasn’t all for naught. The Patriots pulled in the reigns on their young quarterback in the second half and let the running backs and the defense do the work for him. Jones settled in, engineering a clutch 7-minute drive in the fourth quarter. New England won, with help from safety Adrian Phillips, who logged a pair of interceptions, including a pick-six. It was impossible not to wonder whether the Patriots were trying to give Jones more latitude in the offense, with hopes he’ll be able to execute a more aggressive game plan against a top-tier opponent like the Chargers. Maybe Jones couldn’t get there in Week 8. But by Weeks 12 and 13 when the Patriots have the Titans and Bills? Maybe Jones will be ready.
We may see more reliance upon Jones in the coming games — and we may see more growing pains from the young QB. All that and more on this week’s Patriots Wire podcast. Check out the latest episode and subscribe on Apple or on Spotify.
Tell us what you think from this week’s podcast in the comment section? Any thoughts? Disagreements? Let us know.
