Film review: A closer look at Mac Jones' deep passes during Patriots' win over Cardinals
BOSTON -- The Patriots won on Monday night, a victory that was absolutely critical to the viability of their playoff chances and, thus, the rest of their regular season. But it obviously wasn't pretty.
Facing one of the very worst defenses in the NFL, the Patriots' offense didn't exactly thrive. New England punted six times in the loss, settling for two field goals and also turning the ball over via interception. The offense did put together two touchdowns drives -- eight plays for 61 yards the first time, five plays for 63 yards the second -- but much of Mac Jones' night was spent handing the ball off or throwing passes at or behind the line of scrimmage.
That strategy obviously resulted in some frustration from fans watching from home, as it came one week after Jones aggressively let it be known that he was not a fan of the quick passing game in a loss to the Bills.
The Patriots did take some intermediate and deep shots, though, to varying success. Let's take a look at each one to try to find some commonalities, as well as what might work -- and what might not -- moving forward. Because while a death-by-a-thousand-cuts offense might be enough to beat a Colt McCoy-led Cardinals team, it likely won't be enough to beat any of the NFL's better teams.
First shot: Interception
Mac Jones' first five passes of the night were all short ones. Finally, at the end of the first quarter, he was asked to take a deep drop off play-action and get the ball down the field. It was an interesting play.
Literally one snap after Rhamondre Stevenson left due to injury, rookie running back Kevin Harris was called upon to run the play-fake and then pass-protect against Budda Baker, who was flying into the backfield like a bat out of hell. Harris did a good job of getting in front of Baker and forcing him upfield, allowing Jones to step up into the pocket. Unfortunately for the QB, Hunter Henry was getting worked by Cameron Thomas, who eventually shed Henry after seeing Jones step up. Thomas was able to get a hand on Jones' arm as he threw the pass, resulting in a wobbling duck that was picked off by Isaiah Simmons.
From the TV broadcast, it might have seemed like Jones should have gotten rid of the ball more quickly. But for one, the time from the snap to the release was just 3 seconds flat. And secondly, Jones was waiting for Tyquan Thornton to spring open on a deep crossing route across the midfield logo:
Jones had to wait for Nelson Agholor to clear out the corner by running a streak up the field. Once he did, Thornton did get open, and the potential was there for a chunk gain of 20-plus yards. But Jones didn't have the extra split-second to get the ball there.
Not a shot: Throwaway
This wasn't really a deep shot, but it's worth spotlighting as a play where passing was next to impossible. That's mostly because Conor McDermott -- signed off the Jets' practice squad a few weeks ago and now starting on Monday Night Football -- did not block Isaiah Simmons, who was rushing from way outside. Hunter Henry was lined up a few yards wide of the tackle, and Simmons lined up well outside of him. McDermott just didn't account for him.
Even if McDermott had stepped out to block Simmons, allowing Mike Onwenu to handle the rusher closer to the interior, the left side of the line got overpowered on this play, too. Trent Brown was knocked on his rear end, and Cole Strange was in chase mode as the quarterback somehow dipped and ducked his way out of harm, stepped just outside the tackle box, and threw it away.
Here's what was developing downfield during that brief play:
Not really a deep shot. Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne ran 10-yard curls. Hunter Henry stepped to the middle of the defense, five yards downfield. Tyquan Thornton was available in the right flat for a quick pass. This play makes it into this look, though, as a case of some of the issues plaguing the Patriots' passing game beyond the play-calling.
Sack
Mac Jones took just one sack in this game, and he didn't have much of a chance.
On a third-and-11 from the New England 22, all three wideouts went deep. But with the Cardinals in a Cover-2 on the back end, nothing was going to be open there. Hunter Henry eventually sprung free over the middle for what would have been a short gain, but Zach Allen and Cameron Thomas ran a twist, confusing Trent Brown and Cole Strange, allowing Allen to make a run at Jones. J.J. Watt twisted around the other side and also got to Jones, getting to the QB just after Allen.
Essentially, this play on third-and-11 had close to a zero percent success rate, even if the blocking held up. It didn't, and the result was another negative play.
Second shot: Bad throw
This wasn't a deep shot, but it was a pass beyond the sticks. In this offense, that's not always a common occurrence.
The Patriots needed a quick-strike scoring drive after turning the ball over on downs on their own end of the field in the final minute of the half. On first-and-10 from the New England 42, Nelson Agholor got himself open on a 15-yard out route. Mac Jones just missed him and led his receiver out of bounds.
Misfire. He'd make up for it on the next snap, though.
Third shot: Big completion to Hunter Henry
On that same drive, Jones was finally allowed to uncork a deep one, and it was a hit.
The Cardinals weren't able to get off the ball at the snap, resulting in essentially a two-man rush off the bat. Though Cole Strange was getting muscled into the backfield, Jones had plenty of time and space to shuffle left and wait for the tiniest of windows to open up to Henry.
Jones then stepped up and delivered one of his best passes of the season:
It was a risky pass, no doubt, as Budda Baker was flying toward the receiver to pick it off. But Jones got enough on the throw to get the ball to Henry safely. It gained 30 yards.
Instead of taking a shot at the end zone from the 28-yard line, the Patriots opted for a draw play on the ensuing snap, which Kevin Harris fumbled, but they were still able to get the field goal before halftime.
Intermediate shot: An easy zone beater to Bourne
This wasn't a deep ball, but it was a case of the Patriots' offense gaining chunk yards with ease -- something that's been somewhat of a rare occurrence.
Watch as Kendrick Bourne simply sits down in a zone. Mac Jones finds him. Mac Jones delivers a strike. Kendrick Bourne breaks a tackle and turns a 12-yard gain into a 15-yard gain.
Simple.
Of note on that play: The O-line stood up against the four-man rush, affording Jones plenty of time to run through his progressions and deliver a strike out of a clean pocket.
Fourth shot: Incomplete jump ball
A nice ball from Jones hits Agholor in the hands, but he's unable to make the contested catch.
Nothing too complicated about that one. Jones made the throw, but they're called 50-50 balls for a reason.
Nobody else really had much time to get open, aside from Kendrick Bourne flashing over the middle on a shallow crosser for a quick second.
It's also worth noting that Jones got rid of this ball in just 2.7 seconds, but still had a man in his face.
Fifth shot: Completion to Bourne
Who knows how much Kendrick Bourne was in the initial game plan, but with DeVante Parker leaving early, Bourne had a significant role. This play -- at the end of the third quarter, on what ended up being a touchdown drive -- was his longest reception of the night.
But it wasn't exactly a well-designed play with precise execution.
Once again, Jones was under duress, this time running away from Myjai Sanders. Cole Strange lost his one-on-one but recovered and was able to get his man to the ground. But in doing so, it allowed Sanders to get away from Trent Brown and cut across the pocket to make a beeline toward the QB.
But credit to Jones. He recognized where the pressure was coming from, ran away from it, looked upfield, and delivered a strike to Bourne.
The broadcast did note that hitting Tyquan Thornton might have bene an easier completion for Jones (you'll see him leaping over Bourne) ...
... but life moves fast. Good play by Jones there.
Sixth shot: Another deep completion to Henry
This one really opened up for the Patriots' offense. Isaiah Simmons just let Hunter Henry run right past him, and with only a single-high safety on the back end (who was cheating toward the other side of the field), the entire right side was opened up for a deep completion to the tight end.
Once again, the line held up on this play, allowing Jones time to wait for Henry to spring free before delivering a pass on the money.
Henry was probably one step away from turning that into a 42-yard touchdown. But that didn't matter much, as Pierre Strong scored on the next play to put the game well out of reach for Arizona. That deep ball to Henry was absolutely massive, and it showed that even in the midst of a conservative offensive game, Mac Jones and Hunter Henry can execute in a big spot in the fourth quarter.
Last shot: Not a real shot
So you want some more play-action? Makes sense. Just not like this.
With less than five minutes to go, the Patriots took over near midfield and decided to take a deep shot after turning the ball over on downs once again. But not really. After Jones faked the handoff to Harris, just two receivers ran routes downfield. Two tight ends and the running back stayed in to block.
The hope might have been that the Cardinals sold out to stop the run? Whatever the case may have been, Jones had enough time to make a peanut butter and marmalade sandwich in the pocket. He just had nowhere to throw. The Cardinals had three defensive backs covering the two receivers. So Jones threw it away.
Considering the game situation (up by 14 with five minutes to play), it makes sense that the "shot play" was the safest option possible. Jones could have tried to force the issue by giving Agholor a chance to make a catch, but the risk of a pick-six far outweighed the potential benefit of a 10-12-yard gain.
Max protect, see if a defender falls asleep again, try to take advantage. If not, live on to the next play and run some clock.
Takeaways
So, what are the commonalities?
For one, the pocket remains a dangerous place for Mac Jones. The quarterback was under heavy pressure on five of these plays. One was an interception, one was a sack, one was a throwaway, one was an incomplete jump ball, and one was a 16-yard completion after scrambling. That's a tough way to live, but it's been the norm for Jones this season.
The fact that Jones was able to capitalize with a couple of clean pockets on deep balls to Hunter Henry only furthers that point. (Jones did have the one misfire to Agholor out of a clean pocket.) And his tight-window throw before halftime was exceptional -- and worth another look:
Should the Patriots take some more shots down the field? For sure. Can they? That's a tougher question to answer. The offensive line remains the biggest hindrance to downfield passing.
If they can block, they can run some real plays. It's just a matter of making those blocks and allowing plays to develop. That's just a rather significant issue, and it doesn't seem like something that can necessarily be cured in a cinch. So for the foreseeable future, it might be wise to expect some more sideways passes, some more screen-heavy game plans, and some more reliance on the running game to make up the majority of the Patriots offense.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
