Patriots Gameday: Mac Jones must bring the heat in the Arizona desert
Can Mac Jones handle the heat in Arizona? As the New England Patriots prepare to square off against the Cardinals, that question is not about the weather, it is about the blitz and how the Pats quarterback handles it.
In an important game to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Patriots must find ways on both defense and offense to keep a 4-8 Cardinals team from building any confidence in this game.
It does start on the defensive side of the football as Bill Belichick is once again facing a mobile quarterback in Kyle Murray. Not only that, but the secondary will also be challenged with the talent of DeAndre Hopkins, which will be yet another challenge for Jonathan Jones. But what will really help the defense is good offense, which the Patriots haven’t had much consistency with this season.
Mac Jones and the Patriots offense must open things up in Arizona
After another lackluster performance against the Buffalo Bills last week, Mac Jones and the offense must execute against a Cardinals defense that does like to put the pressure on the quarterback. If they withstand the heat of the blitz there will be scoring opportunities for the offense. Jones will need to be ready for it and trust his playmakers, which will be tough without Jakobi Meyers in this game.
"“They bring a lot of different guys from a lot of different places — show you one thing and bring something else. [They] keep you guessing and put you on your heels,” Jones said, as transcribed by ESPN."
The Achilles heel for Mac Jones most certainly this season has been how he handles pressure. In this game, against a team the Patriots should beat, the offense must move the ball and look like more of the team that showed up against the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving night and less of the team that kills themselves with penalties, lack of execution and conservative play-calling. In other words, it is time to move the ball down the field.
That means Mac Jones must be willing to stand in the pocket, move up in the pocket to get the ball to players like DeVante Parker, Hunter Henry, Tyquan Thornton and Nelson Agholor. Like that Minnesota game, let Mac cook. Open it up and see what this offense can really do.
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As frustrated as the players have been with the offensive game approach, Jones does believe his team is on the brink of finally figuring things out.
"“I think we all know that as players, we can play a lot better and execute better and do all the things better,” Jones told reporters last Thursday, via Boston.com. “I always talk about you have the things you want to get better at and then the plan to fix them or get better at them. It’s a constant grind and battle with it.“A lot of it’s fundamentals and we’ve got to finish strong. We have the guys to do it, we have the coaches to do it and it starts with this week. That’s all you can do is focus on today and then obviously playing a really good football team, on the road and in primetime, which is awesome.”"
The offensive line doing their part will go a long way as will Mac Jones recognizing that pressure and having a quick outlet. That could mean a lot of Rhamondre Stevenson running and catching the ball out of the backfield. It should also mean a big night for the tight ends. Both Henry and Jonnu Smith will have opportunities to make plays against this Arizona defense. Both are overdue to have to have big games at the same time.
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In all, an important night for the New England Patriots offense as all the talk has been on the problem known as Matt Patricia. Ultimately, it’s the playmakers and the quarterback who can turn things around.
All eyes on Mac Jones on Monday night. It’s game day.