After six losses in seven games, the New England Patriots finally got some relief last week. The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the 2-8 Pats, who've earned the reputation as one of the NFL's worst teams this season.
Bye weeks are used to address issues and that's exactly what New England must do. While the playoffs are essentially out of reach, that doesn't mean the team can't improve its play to give fans something to cheer about down the stretch.
If any semblance of a turnaround is to happen, several individuals must step up to be better than they have been. With that in mind, here are five Patriots who are still on thin ice after their bye week.
4 Patriots on Thin Ice After Bye Week
1. Mac Jones, QB
There's a good chance that you knew Mac Jones would be somewhere on this list before you even opened the article.
The Patriots' No. 1 quarterback has played anything like that this season and his play has only declined with each passing week. It's never a good season when your QB has as many touchdowns as he does interceptions (10) at any point unless the season hasn't started yet. His 80.2 passer rating also ranks 27th among 44 eligible players.
Additionally, Jones has already been pulled three times this season, but the latest incident was the most embarrassing. With a chance to have a game-winning drive against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany last week, the Patriots opted to go with Bailey Zappe over Jones for the two-minute drill.
Even though New England didn't get the win, the benching sent a message. It just doesn't get lower than that, especially with reports emerging that the 25-year-old signal-caller has now lost the locker room.
For Jones' sake, if he wants to have a future playing in the NFL, he must use the break to find a way to get off thin ice before showing if he's capable of better play down the stretch.
2. Bill Belichick, HC
This list isn't exclusive to players who are on thin ice. After all, who better to point the finger at than the captain who's steering the ship?
Let me just start by saying that Bill Belichick deserves every ounce of praise he's gotten throughout his career. You don't just fall into 300 career wins, three NFL Coach of the Year awards and eight Super Bowl rings without being that damn good.
At the same time, the current version of Belichick just hasn't been working this season. Whether it's the roster structure, lineup decisions or coaching staff additions, nothing he's done from the offseason to now suggests that New England will return to prominence any time soon.
It looked like Belichick was on his way to getting fired if the Patriots lost in Germany (which, of course, they did), but that hasn't been the case. Instead, the latest reports indicate that owner Robert Kraft will wait to dismiss the 71-year-old until the end of the season as a sign of respect.
If New England is stuck with Belichick for the rest of the year, he needs to take his game planning to the next level. The Patriots need to be playing with heart and a purpose even if they don't wind up winning. If they keep looking like the same sorry lot for the next seven weeks, this season will be a smudge on his legacy.
For New England players and fans, let's hope Belichick can be better after some rest.
3. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
Can we decide that it's time to end the JuJu Smith-Schuster experiment?
The Patriots' $33 million man has been a shell of his former self this season. A former 1,400-yard player, Smith-Schuster has barely even passed 140 receiving yards this season, sitting at 22 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown through eight games.
And while some of this falls on Jones' lackluster play under center, blame must be spread around.
If the 26-year-old wasn't getting any opportunities, that'd be one thing, but that isn't the case. Smith-Schuster plays the third-most snaps among New England wideouts and just played 68 offensive snaps against the Colts — one back of the game-high shared by four offensive linemen.
But what did Smith-Schuster do with that playing time? Catch his only target for 9 yards. His 49.8 offensive grade on Pro Football Focus in Week 10 was also only better than four players on the team, and two of them were Zappe and backup tackle Vederian Lowe.
If Smith-Schuster isn't ready to step up, I'm in favor of shutting him down for the year in favor of giving more opportunities to rookie wideouts Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. After all, the Patriots can save $5.36 million by trading the veteran WR before June 1 or $8 million in a deal after that date.
4. Hunter Henry, TE
It felt like yesterday when Hunter Henry became a New England fan favorite when he joined the organization in 2021 on a three-year, $37.5 million contract. He was one of the top weapons in Mac Jones' rookie campaign, finishing with 50 catches for 603 receiving yards and a team-high 9 TDs.
But despite playing all 17 games last season, Henry didn't have the same impact. His numbers were down across the board, resulting in a 41-509-2 stat line. But that wasn't a major issue seeing as how the majority of the Pats' offense struggled, leaving fans hopeful that the veteran TE could bounce back this fall.
But here we are in November and Henry sure doesn't seem like someone worth the $15.5 million salary cap hit. While he's on pace for more receptions than last year and has already surpassed his 2022 TD total with 3 thus far, he's projected to finish with nearly the same amount of yards (507) if he doesn't miss a game.
Henry just hasn't been the most reliable target. His 2 drops are just one fewer than last year and his fumble in Week 10 marks his first since the 2019 season. Furthermore, he's finished three of his last six games with a sub-50.0 PFF pass grade.
Slated to become a free agent in the offseason, Henry must find another gear if he hopes to get paid again.
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