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Patriots veteran admits defense dealt with ‘frustration’ throughout 2023
"That's going to start to develop some frustration."
The Patriots’ 4-13 record during the 2023 season might paint the picture of a completely dysfunctional product on the field.
But most of New England’s woes this fall were rooted in an offense that completely imploded.
Mac Jones was benched for good after 12 weeks, with Bailey Zappe given the unenviable task of reviving the Patriots over six games. A dearth of proven playmakers didn’t help out either signal-caller, while a porous offensive line routinely led to failed drives down the field.
It was a frustrating season all around, especially for a team defense that put together an admirable effort all year.
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While New England’s offense struggled with stringing together any consistency, the Patriots’ defense ranked 15th overall in points allowed per game (21.6). They ranked fourth overall in rushing yards allowed per game at 93.2.
But several red-zone stops and momentum-shifting plays on defense did little to reverse New England’s fortunes in 2023.
Over a three-game stretch from Nov. 12 – Dec. 3, the Patriots defense gave up just 26 total points. New England went 0-3 over that extended sample size.
According to NFL senior researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno, the 2023 Patriots are the first team to lose three consecutive games despite giving up 10 or fewer points in each contest since the Chicago Cardinals — who dropped four straight games in such a fashion… in 1938.
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Speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” on Thursday in Las Vegas, Patriots veteran corner Jonathan Jones admitted that New England’s defense grew frustrated last season at the team’s shortcomings on offense.
“I feel like it’s inevitable,” Jones said of frustration setting in. “If you’re in a marriage and you’re the only one putting in work, and that’s how you feel, eventually that’s going to come out as frustration.”
Jones was far from the only Patriots player to vent his frustration about New England’s struggles on offense.
After New England’s 6-0 loss to the Chargers on Dec. 3, Patriots defensive tackle Davon Godchaux sounded off in an interview with Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.
“It’s frustrating. It’s frustrating. I’m not gonna sit up here and say, ‘You know, I still believe.’ It’s f—ing frustrating. Anybody can tell you that,” Godchaux told Callahan. “You know, I thought (Bailey) Zappe made some good throws today. I thought there was a couple balls we could’ve caught as receivers, and those guys would tell you the same thing, too. They can take accountability, and we’ve all got (expletive) (expletive) we all messed up on. But the margin of error in this league is so small.”
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“Like, Tyquan (Thornton) had the guy beat by like three steps. And we’ve gotta make those catches. The margin of error is so small. I still think Tyquan’s got a bright future, he’s a really, really talented guy. But the margin for error in this league is so small, man. One opportunity that you let slip, like — we didn’t really get another opportunity to throw another deep ball. DP (Devante Parker) had one, but he ended up being out of bounds.”
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