New England Patriots Fear That Mac Jones May Have The “Yips”

The New England Patriots are 2-8 and all by themselves at the bottom of the AFC standings. There are issues throughout the organization, from the legendary coach whose job appears to be in jeopardy, to the lack of elite talent that the front office has put on the field. But the apparent and most obvious issue is at the quarterback position, and the Mac Jones situation has gone from bad to worse during the 2023 NFL season.

Patriots Fear That Jones Has The “Yips”

𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: The #Patriots are concerned that Mac Jones’ feet are such a mess that he now has the “𝗬𝗶𝗽𝘀”, per @AlbertBreer

Breer added: “They were sold a smart, efficient game managing quarterback and (instead) they’re getting a guy that makes a lot mistakes out there that… https://t.co/eyeyypo798 pic.twitter.com/QGNb8PsDMw

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 18, 2023

Typically, any quarterback that has been benched three times during the first ten games of a season is going to lose his job. But despite having Bailey Zappe play in relief in games against the Cowboys, Saints, and Colts, Jones remains the listed starter going forward. It is due to the lack of confidence that the Patriots have in anyone else on the roster, as they believe that Jones gives them a better chance to win than Zappe or Will Grier.

That may be a surprise, especially given the report from Albert Breer during his appearance on The Herd. He said that since Jones’ footwork was such a mess in their game against the Colts, that the Patriots are now afraid that he may have the yips.

This is really tangled up right now. He’s not making great decisions, he’s not playing with great mechanics. He’s not playing good football whatsoever. The problem the Patriots have right now is that there’s not another great answer on the roster between Bailey Zappe and Will Grier, so what do they do?

Help Could Be On The Way… Through The Draft

Thoughts on Caleb Williams as his College Football career nears its end#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/6CEk2l2NTA

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 18, 2023

As it looks at the moment, fans in New England will only have to deal with this situation for a short time longer. Unless they have a miraculous turnaround, they should be nabbing themselves a top-5 pick in next year’s draft, one that features a class rich with potential quarterback talent. There could be up to 5 QBs taken in the first round in 2024, headlined by Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.

The Patriots are on a bye during Week 11, but don’t look for them to figure out the quarterback situation during the time off. When they return to action, they’ll be on the road taking on the New York Giants.