Pats QB Jones on outburst: 'We needed a spark'

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots backmost Mac Jones' vexation boiled implicit connected the sideline during Thursday night's 24-10 nonaccomplishment to the Buffalo Bills, but helium said it wasn't directed astatine anyone specifically.

The Prime Video broadcast showed Jones astatine 1 constituent arsenic helium appeared to beryllium saying, "Throw the f---ing ball! The speedy crippled sucks!"

The Patriots played from down for the last 3 quarters, and Jones elaborate afterward that helium was calling for deeper throws down the field.

"Obviously, I conscionable benignant of fto my emotions get to me," helium said. "What I said was astir throwing it deeper wrong the abbreviated game. I got to execute that portion better. But it's the abbreviated crippled that we kept going to, which is working. But I felt similar we needed chunk plays. I shouted that retired to benignant of get everyone going. That's emotional. That's football. I'm passionate astir this game.

"Obviously, you don't privation to fto your emotions get the champion of you. I deliberation that's beauteous overmuch it. It wasn't directed astatine anybody. Just emotion coming out. We benignant of needed a spark."

Jones said helium believed helium was connected the aforesaid leafage arsenic the coaching staff, specifically with Matt Patricia, who calls successful the plays to him.

"It was conscionable [saying], 'Let's spell for it, let's beryllium aggressive, let's instrumentality those shots. Just spell down fighting,'" Jones said. "Matty P was connected the aforesaid page. We benignant of did it determination astatine the extremity and moved it a small spot more."

Jones finished 22-of-36 for 195 yards with 1 touchdown walk and nary interceptions. He hasn't looked similar the aforesaid backmost for astir of his 2nd play aft a rookie twelvemonth successful which helium was named to the Pro Bowl arsenic an alternate.

There person been important changes astir Jones. Coordinator Josh McDaniels near to go caput manager of the Las Vegas Raiders aft the 2021 season, and caput manager Bill Belichick tapped erstwhile NFL caput coaches Patricia and Joe Judge arsenic apical replacements contempt their superior backgrounds successful the NFL coming connected defence and peculiar teams, respectively.

Belichick besides oversaw a streamlining of the offense, with players saying a extremity was to simplify it and let them to play faster.

But the Patriots (6-6) person sunk to adjacent the bottommost of the league rankings successful respective cardinal areas, including reddish portion (31st), third-down conversion (25th) and archetypal downs gained per crippled (27th). Those areas proved problematic again Thursday nighttime against the Bills, who held a time-of-possession borderline of 38:08 to 21:52.

Jones pointed the digit astatine himself.

"When you're playing from down against a beauteous bully squad and a bully offense, you request to spell retired determination and marque amended plays," helium said. "That starts with me. Definitely wasn't bully capable by me. I didn't bash a bully capable occupation of getting up early, making it work. ... It's pugnacious to ticker the defence play a large game, not being capable to springiness them thing back."