Former NFL HC blasts Patriots after loss to Raiders

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) hands the ball off to New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) in the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Former NFL head coach blasts Patriots after loss to Raiders

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 10/16/23

Former NFL head coach and current ESPN personality Rex Ryan once again blasted members of the New England Patriots, this time after the team's 21-17 loss at the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday that dropped New England to 1-5 on the season.

"This team sucks," Ryan directly said about the Patriots during Monday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, per Mandi Shovlin of the New York Post. "I’m telling you, they stink. They absolutely stink. Where’s the fight? Where’s the energy? Where’s the passion? I don’t see it."

Earlier this month, Ryan ripped Mac Jones and said the Patriots signal-caller may have "the weakest arm for all starting quarterbacks in the league." Since those comments, New England has lost back-to-back games, and a seemingly desperate Bill Belichick turned to undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham as his primary backup quarterback and a gadget player for the Las Vegas contest.

Ryan somewhat defended Belichick and praised the head coach for "still getting" to defensive players despite the offense's struggles. According to ESPN stats, the Patriots began Monday ranked 10th in the league with an average of 306.7 offensive yards surrendered per game.

"...I believe this team is terrible, I really do," Ryan continued. "But Belichick is doing a tremendous job, especially on defense. This defense is playing great. They’re not the ones not playing with energy and passion. It’s the other side. I don’t see it."

Belichick and his staff reportedly are in no hurry to play either 2022 fourth-round draft pick Bailey Zappe or 2019 third-round draft choice Will Grier over Jones even though Jones continues to make inexcusable mistakes on a weekly basis. Per ESPN stats, Jones ended the weekend ranked 30th in the NFL among qualified players with a 36.8 adjusted QBR and tied for 29th with an average of 6.0 yards per pass attempt.

As of Monday afternoon, it was assumed Jones will remain atop the depth chart when the Patriots host the 4-2 Buffalo Bills this coming Sunday.

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