Mac Jones says Patriots "didn't have answers to the test" in blowout loss to Saints

FOXBORO -- Bill Belichick and his coaching staffs in New England have always been praised for having their teams prepared better than anyone else. No matter what Patriots players saw on the field, it wasn't going to be new or shocking to them because their coaches had spent the previous week getting them ready for any little wrinkle that may or may not come their way.

But that has not been the case with this current team, and over the last two weeks -- mixed with some truly terrible performances by New England on the field --  it has led to some embarrassing blowout losses for the Patriots. After Sunday afternoon's 34-0 drubbing by the Saints at Gillette Stadium, quarterback Mac Jones said the team hasn't been ready to go to start games, leading to some insurmountable holes for the Patriots.

Jones elaborated on that a bit Monday afternoon. A common phrase that Tom Brady uttered throughout his two decades of dominance in New England was that he knew the "answers to the test," which set himself and the Patriots' offense up for success. A lot of that was Brady's own awareness and vast knowledge of the NFL, but the New England coaching and scout staff certainly played a role in it.

But as Jones made clear during his weekly interview with WEEI's Jones and Mego show on Monday, the Patriots do not have the answers to the test at the moment. It's unclear if they even know what the test is on, given the woeful results of the last few weeks.

"The biggest thing is just trying to figure out the root cause to each of the issues. That's playing better as a team, me playing better as a quarterback. We didn't have the answers to the test yesterday," Jones said when asked why fans should feel optimistic the team can turn things around this year. "You have to move forward in this league. You can't look back; you've gotta look forward."

Jones said the Patriots didn't have the answers three times throughout the interview, really hammering home the talking point. He was quick to take a lot of the blame as the team's quarterback, but he's also putting a chunk of the blame on the coaching staff.

He did say that Bill O'Brien is doing a "great" job this year, but Jones also used his test analogy when talking about his offensive coordinator.

"It was a tough day on the farm and we didn't have a lot of answers to the test," Jones echoed. "We're definitely communicating and everyone is trying to work hard to work together."

Togetherness, at the moment, may be the team's best shot to salvage the season. While the Patriots are the NFL's worst offense, with the team averaging just 11 points per game, Jones does believe that they can get on track -- but only if they work as a cohesive unit. 

"We're just trying to figure out the root cause of some of this stuff and how can we put more points up. It starts with running the ball and we can do that," he said confidently about an offense averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. "It's got to improve from my standpoint, how can I get the ball to the open guy? I'll watch it on tape and figure out what we can do better."

Jones still has confidence in the group of playmakers around him, as he scoffed at comments reportedly made by a source close to him that not even the world's best chef can make garbage taste good.

"I don't do social media. I try to stay off and eliminate the noise. I disagree with that; I think we have a real talented group of guys that I've got to work with this season," said Jones.