Mac Jones may be the face of the Patriots’ ongoing offensive woes, but Bill O’Brien is the brains.

For that, O’Brien says blame him.

Related Articles

Two Patriots legends named Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists for 2024 Class

Patriots-Giants film review: Bill Belichick is out of options on offense

Mac Jones currently focused on ‘process’ of becoming Patriots starting QB

Patriots extra points: Devin McCourty says he would want new quarterback for Patriots defense

Bill Belichick won’t rule out Patriots signing QB, kicker help

“Things haven’t gone great for (Jones) this year. I don’t think that he’s the No. 1 guy to blame. If you want to blame anyone, blame me,” O’Brien said Tuesday during a video conference. “I’m the one who designs it, and it’s not going very well.”

The Patriots are averaging 13.5 points per game, second-worst in the league ahead of only the Giants. On Sunday, the Giants upset the Pats 10-7 during a game where Jones was benched for the fourth time this season, and his backup, Bailey Zappe, tossed a terrible fourth-quarter pick that led to an eventual game-winning New York field goal.

Before halftime, Jones threw two interceptions and took a strip sack. He owns the highest interception rate in the NFL among active starting quarterbacks. O’Brien offer some insight into both picks Sunday, underscoring Jones’ ongoing trouble playing under pressure.

“The one play where he threw the first interception, there was a protection breakdown. He has to make a better decision there to throw the ball out of bounds,” O’Brien aid. “We have to do a better job of protecting him, designing the protection, executing the protection. I’m just being real with you. And the next interception, we were in a situation where they brought an extra guy, and we have to get the ball out and make a good decision or we have to take the sack.

“In both of those situations, he would probably be the first to tell you that he has to make a better decision.”

As for how the Patriots will handle their quarterback plan this week, when they prepare for a home battle Sunday with the Chargers, O’Brien indicated Jones and Zappe could again compete for the starting job.

“I think it will be the same as last week, relative to going into the week and ‘let’s do a good job this week of installing a good game-plan, teaching it to the players, and then the players going out and executing it on the practice field,’” O’Brien said. “That’s really what it comes down to, and then performing on game day. And as an offense, coaching and playing wise, we just haven’t done that.”

O’Brien didn’t shut the door on practice-squad rookie quarterback/wideout Malik Cunningham possibly earning playing time, but said Cunningham has mainly practiced at receiver around some snaps as the scout-team quarterback. Earlier Tuesday, Patriots wide receivers coach Troy Brown estimated Cunningham has split his time in meetings this season “half and half” between the quarterbacks’ and receivers’ rooms.

Cunningham’s only regular-season appearance this year came in Week 6, when he took three snaps at quarterback and three at receiver during a loss at Las Vegas.