Bill O'Brien Has Message For Everyone Criticizing Mac Jones

Mac Jones remains under fire after another lethargic performance, but New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien told critics to point the finger his way instead

The quarterback's woes continued when Jones completed 12 of 21 passes for 89 yards and two interceptions in Sunday's 10-7 loss to the New York Giants. Jones got benched for Bailey Zappe, who didn't fare much better (9-of-14, 54 yards, and an INT) down the stretch.

O'Brien told reporters Tuesday that Jones isn't the primary culprit for New England's offensive deficiencies.

"Things haven't gone great for him this year," O'Brien said of Jones, per CBS Boston's Michael Hurley. "I don't think that he's the No. 1 guy to blame. If you want to blame anyone, blame me. I'm the one who designs it, and it's not going very well."

Via ESPN's Mike Reiss, O'Brien cited a "protection breakdown" on Jones' first pick and said the team all "have to do a better job" moving forward.

"[Jones] has to make a better decision there to throw the ball out of bounds," O'Brien said. "We have to do a better job of protecting him, designing the protection, executing the protection. I’m just being real with you."

Jones has more picks (12) than passing touchdowns (10) while ranking 28th among 30 qualified quarterbacks in QBR (36.5). Only the Giants have scored fewer points per game than the Patriots (13.5).

Despite getting benched for Zappe four times this season, Jones has started all 11 games. Per MassLive's Mark Daniels, O'Brien deferred when asked who he expects to start this Sunday. 

"I don't make those calls," O'Brien said. "There's a chain of command. The chain of command is Robert Kraft at [the] top. Bill Belichick and the assistant coaches are down here."

The Patriots will try to snap a four-game losing streak when facing the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13.