3 Patriots most to blame for turning Mac Jones into a complete disaster

The New England Patriots are tied 7-7 with the New York Giants in the fourth quarter of Sunday afternoon's matinee rock fight. Once upon a time, that would have been a marquee matchup. Long gone, however, are the days of Tom Brady and Eli Manning.

Instead, today's matchup features Mac Jones and Tommy DeVito. That strange background noise you hear is the distant sobs of the northeast. A lament for football, found dead where it once thrived.

Let's check in on Mac Jones, our weekly champion of the QBs to bench column and the bane of every New England fan's existence.

Y'all ever watch Manchester by the Sea? That was almost as sad as watching Patriots football.

As Jones' career continues its southward turn, here are a few Patriots who deserve a share of the blame for spoiling the once-promising No. 15 overall pick.

Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott deserve blame for Patriots' mediocre run game

The Patriots' pass attack has been volatile and inconsistent all season. Mac Jones has devolved into a mistake factory (I'm not going to include him as a "person to blame," but Jones himself is culprit No. 1 here), with New England's iffy receiving corps only furthering the Patriots' inability to consistently generate chunk gains.

If your pass attack is problematic, it becomes all the more important to effectively run the ball. New England's poor offensive line is another viable source of blame, but Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott land a page in the Blame Book for their general lack of success on the ground.

Stevenson was billed as a legitimate breakout star last season, crossing the 1,000-yard threshold and registering five touchdowns while averaging a robust 5.0 yards per carry. Thrust into full-time RB1 duties, Stevenson's efficiency has plummeted to a career-worst 3.8 yards per carry in 2023. He has 462 yards on 126 attempts through 10 weeks, with three scores to his name. Hardly Pro Bowl, "breakout star" production.

The Elliott signing was supposed to bolster the ground attack for a Patriots team wary about Jones' competence (or lack thereof) in the pocket. Unfortunately, Elliott has matched last season's career-worst rate of 3.8 YPC while generally providing minimal dynamism as the Patriots' change-of-pace option. Rather than resurgent, Elliott has been stagnant.

New England averages 94.9 rushing yards per game, 26th in the entire NFL. That won't cut it for a team that can't trust its QB.