Former head coach and ESPN analyst Rex Ryan doesn't think New England and rookie quarterback Mac Jones have what it takes to make the playoffs this year.
On Monday, Ryan was asked on ESPNs "Get Up!" about the Patriots' playoff chances, to which he responded: "Hell no!"
Ryan focused his criticism on Patriot star Mac Jones,
"Because you have a peashooter at quarterback. Give me a break right here. This team should have been beaten by the Houston Texans right now. A playoff team? Playoffs? No chance at this thing. Look their defence is not as good as they've been. Hey, the ball travels down the field more than 15 yards? Uh oh, that's bad news for this guy right here (Jones) He's closer to Danny Wuerffel than Tom Brady."
For those who don't know, Danny Wuerffel is a Heisman trophy winner and a prolific college quarterback who never found his footing in the NFL, struggling to throw the ball down field.
Does Rex's criticism hold any weight?
Mac Jones is a 2-3 quarterback, throwing for 5 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 5 games. He's thrown for 1,243 yards and passed for more than 270 yards in 3 of his 5 starts.
But Rex has a point when it comes to Jones driving the ball down field.
He averages 6.5 yards per pass attempt and 9.2 yards per completion, placing him near the bottom of the league.
Mac Jones is the only rookie QB in the Super Bowl era to have a 70+ comp pct on 30+ attempts in 4 of his first 5 career starts.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) October 10, 2021
- Only other QBs to have multiple such games in first 5 starts were Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz (2 each) in 2016.#Patriots
While the Patriots are still in playoff contention, the AFC East may already be out of reach as the Bills continue their incredible season.
On the other hand, Jones is one of the most accurate rookies in NFL history, so far. According to NFL Network's Mike Giardi, Jones is the only rookie QB in the Super Bowl era to have above a 70% completion average on 30+ attempts in 4 of 5 starts.
Jones went 23 of 30 against the Texans on Sunday, throwing for 231 yards, 1 TD, and 1 interception.
And if we look at the Patriots record, it could very well be 4-1, with narrow losses against the Buccaneers and Dolphins.
We'll see what's in store for the Patriots this Sunday as they take on the dangerous Dallas Cowboys at Foxborough.
© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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