Patriots' O'Brien: Mac Jones will show 'improvement' as season goes on
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien says quarterback Mac Jones will rebound after an ugly Week 4 performance against the Dallas Cowboys.
"Some of the decisions that he made were very uncharacteristic of Mac," O'Brien said Tuesday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. "He's just trying to make a play, he's wanting to win, he's very competitive. I think you'll see a lot of improvement in Mac as we keep moving forward here."
Jones had his worst performance of the season Sunday, throwing for 150 yards with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The 25-year-old threw a pick-6 late in the second quarter, putting the game out of reach for New England.
DaRon Bland pick-six! 2nd defensive TD of the half for the @DallasCowboys
- NFL (@NFL) October 1, 2023
: #NEvsDAL on FOX: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Jq9JHUeqb6 pic.twitter.com/W6WY0IXjZJ
Jones has thrown for 351 yards in his last two contests while completing only 54.4% of his passes.
"We have to do a better job of coaching up some things with him," O'Brien said. "He has to do a better job of making good decisions for us. He knows that. He takes a lot of ownership - you saw that, I think, after the game. He blames himself."
He added: "The game wasn't lost because of one guy. The game was lost, on our part, because of how poorly we played and coached in the game. We have a lot of belief in Mac; I think he'll get back to doing it the way he knows how to do it."
O'Brien was hired as Patriots offensive coordinator in January. New England ranks 30th in points per contest through four games.
The team will look to bounce back against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.
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