National Football League

How Bill Belichick showed confidence in Mac Jones: AFC East analysis

Updated Oct. 31, 2022 11:55 p.m. ET

Bill Belichick uses his press conferences as a platform to send all sorts of different messages. Sometimes, he delivers wakeup calls, gentle nudges and simple affirmations.

Other times, he's spreading disinformation.

But the New England Patriots coach showed what seemed like genuine support for quarterback Mac Jones on Monday following the team's 22-17 win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. The coach was asked about Jones' interception during Belichick's weekly appearance on WEEI sports radio.

"The interception yesterday, he got hit as he was throwing the ball. If the pass-blocking could be better, that would help," Belichick said.

Belichick did not completely absolve Jones from blame. But the coach did defend his quarterback. And, yes, I can imagine some people might be thinking: What do you want Belichick to say? Well, he could have said the whole team needed to get better. Instead, Belichick isolated his offensive line as a problem on that play, thereby moving blame off Jones.

More important than what Belichick said was what Belichick did in Week 8. The Patriots decided to attempt two fourth-down conversions. Both times, New England lined up in shotgun. Both times, New England allowed Jones to dictate the outcome of the play.

That's a big opportunity for Jones to prove himself. The Patriots and Belichick clearly had confidence in Jones. They entrusted the quarterback with the ball in pivotal moments. It hasn't always been like that.

New England has attempted just six fourth-down attempts this season, the seventh-fewest in the NFL. The Patriots attempted the fourth-fewest in 2021 with 17. That was Jones' first full season as a starter, and you got the sense they didn't trust him (or the offense as a whole) to convert.

So this was a big shift, particularly against a Jets defense that ranks sixth in yards allowed per game and 12th in points allowed per game. They have allowed opponents to convert on just 30.8% of third downs this year (4/13), fourth-best in the NFL. (All stats account for Week 8.)

Even with Jones facing a defense that's outstanding, especially on fourth down, the Patriots allowed him two cracks at fourth-down situations near or in the red zone.

The first opportunity didn't go well. On fourth-and-1 from the Jets' 21-yard line, Jones rolled left out of the shotgun and, though he had Hunter Henry open, Jones stared down Jakobi Meyers and tried to send him downfield. It ended in miscommunication, with Jones floating the ball incomplete to a spot where Meyers wasn't.

But then Jones made the coach's pair of fourth-down attempts worthwhile.

On fourth-and-1 from the 5-yard-line, the Patriots called a play out of empty. That's just a sign of immense confidence. Not only did the Patriots trust Jones to throw the ball on fourth down, but New England trusted Jones to throw out of a formation that telegraphs a passing play to the defense.

The play design freed up Meyers for an easy reception, and the receiver stumbled into the end zone for a touchdown.

Rather than settle for a pair of field-goal attempts, which likely would have yielded six points, the Patriots opted for a pair of fourth-down conversions that ended with a seven-point return.

Why?

Because they trust Jones, apparently. At least, that's what it looked like this week. And that's an important development, given Jones' rough touchdown-to-interception ratio (3 touchdowns, 7 interceptions) and quarterback controversy with backup Bailey Zappe.

"I thought Mac did a nice job," Belichick said Monday. "We had pressure on quite a few pass plays, more than we would like, for sure. I thought he made good decisions and had to pull the ball down a couple of times and make some key runs for us."

New England is signaling it wants Jones to step up and be the guy. This week against the Jets, he got it done.

WR Elijah Moore sounds off about discontent. But can the Jets afford to trade him?

Following the Jets' loss to the Patriots, receiver Elijah Moore said it didn't matter whether he still wanted to be traded or not. He was with the Jets, and he was going to help them win.

Alas, there weren't many opportunities for him to do that on Sunday. He played just 10 snaps, fewest among all offensive players who played. He tried to say the right things after the game — at least briefly. But his frustration showed in yet another game when he had zero receptions.

He was asked if he and Zach Wilson are struggling to develop chemistry.

"I don't even know, I couldn't even tell you. I don't get the ball. I don't know," Moore said with a laugh.

Moore demanded a trade after Week 6, when he finished with zero targets and zero catches in a win over the Packers. The Jets made him inactive for Week 7, with coach Robert Saleh downplaying Moore's discontent. When Corey Davis went down with an injury, it seemed like an opportunity for Moore to take a more substantial role in the offense. Alas, he played WR5 behind Garrett Wilson, Denzel Mims, Braxton Berrios and Jeff Smith.

"With Corey being out, just a chance to get Garrett on the field more," Saleh said. "So we'll find a way to get [Moore] more ops on the field."

If you feel confused by that quote, that's because Saleh's comments don't make any sense.

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday. If I were a betting man, I'd wager Moore still wants to get traded. That much is obvious.

If the right compensation (maybe a second-rounder) comes in, the Jets should consider it. But given that Zach Wilson looked like a mess in Week 8, New York should prefer to patch things up with Moore. He is an explosive playmaker in a passing offense that may need to have YAC-minded receivers, if Wilson continues to have issues. A hard-to-tackle player such as Moore can help Wilson generate big plays without having to throw downfield.

New York is in a tough spot. The Jets need Moore. And they didn't do anything to put out the flames in the organization's unhealthy relationship with the guy who should be their No. 2 receiver.

Even Josh Allen knows his turnovers could prove costly

The Bills did what I thought they'd do: They beat up on a bad Packers team. The one thing that surprised me was Josh Allen's play in the second half. He struggled. And not really because the Packers were forcing him into errors. He just bad made decisions that demonstrated a lack of situational awareness.

His team had control of the game in all three phases. He didn't need to press to make plays. But that's what he did not once but twice. And the Packers defense made him pay with two second-half interceptions that kept Green Bay in the game.

"The only way that team gets back in it is if I turn the ball over — and [I had] two stupid ones that I had no business throwing," Allen said postgame.

The thing is, I keep saying that Allen's interceptions are going to haunt him. And they don't. The Bills are so good that Allen's propensity for turnovers hasn't been an issue. But Allen is tied at fifth in the NFL for interceptions with six. I think when the playoffs roll around, he will have to do better there.

Against the Chiefs, he can't afford those mistakes.

Safety Jevon Holland is the Dolphins' only hope to hold off opposing passing offenses

The Miami secondary is dealing with no shortage of injuries, and it showed in Week 8. Lions quarterback Jared Goff lit up the Dolphins for 321 yards and a touchdown while completing 71% of his passes.

The Dolphins are awaiting the return of cornerback Byron Jones (Achilles), and they have lost safety Brandon Jones (ACL) and cornerback Nik Needham (Achilles) for the year. That's three of the team's five starters in the secondary. So the team's backups tried to hold things together in a shootout against the Lions on Sunday. The Dolphins won 31-27, but Tua Tagovailoa and the offense had to overcome a substantial deficit. And while the offense beat up on the Lions' league-worst defense, my eyes were drawn to the Dolphins defense.

The player I found myself watching most was Jevon Holland, who received a game ball from coach Mike McDaniel after the game. Holland finished with the team's second-lowest coverage grade in PFF. He allowed five catches on five targets for 123 yards.

Yikes, right?

But you can see in the film why McDaniel liked some of what he saw from Holland. The safety flew around the field as a run defender and made sound tackles. He also logged a PBU on a target for Amon-Ra St. Brown, with cornerback Xavien Howard in coverage. Holland flew in to punch the ball away from St. Brown and prevented a chunk gain.

That's the kind of play the Dolphins need out of Holland. He needs to be the safety valve on this defense. He cannot be a liability, which — at times — he was in Week 8. Kalif Raymond burned Holland for 43 yards, and T.J. Hockenson logged a 58-yarder on Holland. That simply can't happen.

Holland made the All-Rookie Team in Year 1. His potential was undeniable. But the Dolphins secondary needs him to start playing like a polished veteran. Because their secondary has issues. Big ones. And he seems like the only solution.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.