Mac Jones enjoyed a solid rookie season for the New England Patriots that ultimately ended in disappointment for the franchise. Bill Belichick’s men ensured that their 2020 campaign was an outlier in terms of failing to reach the post-season, bouncing back to the playoffs after one down year.

The Patriots finished with a 10-7 record, propelled by a seven-game winning run in the middle of the season, although the campaign did end on a sour note by losing three out of their last four games. As a result, New England missed out on the number one seed in the AFC Conference, the AFC East title, and were placed on the road in their Wildcard Round clash against the Buffalo Bills.

Belichick’s men were pummelled by Josh Allen and company, losing 47-17 which was flattering to the Patriots, who could neither keep pace nor stop Buffalo from accumulating points. Jones proved that he had a long way to go to match Allen, although there is hope for the future given that Allen had initial struggles before blossoming into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. A Pro Bowl berth was generous for Jones’ exploits last season, but it shows that his performances did strike an accord with fans and players across the league providing a platform to take into the Patriot’s 2022 schedule, reported here at bostonsportsextra.com.

Rebuilding The Brand

New England no longer has the overwhelming advantage at the quarterback position that Belichick enjoyed for 20 years with Tom Brady behind center. His team will have to transition back to the side that started their dynastic run in 2001 by playing solid defense and clinical football on offense. The future Patriots will not be the team that was downright imperious under Brady and Belichick.

They built their brand on winning, becoming the most successful franchise alongside the Pittsburgh Steelers with six Super Bowls, and moving behind only the Dallas Cowboys in terms of their outright value. The Patriots became the team that everyone wanted to play as on Madden NFL, with Brady and Rob Gronkowski among their star players to have graced its cover. The reach of the franchise has expanded far and wide across the globe, and it is fair to say that the Patriots are the most notable team in the NFL, especially in the modern era.

As the United States and the NFL have relaxed their stance regarding online gambling, no team has yet broached the casino sector of gaming and slots. Themed slot games are extremely popular across the globe, from the UK’s thriving gaming scene to South African online casinos like casinos.co.za, which has been noted by a number of leading companies and brands, who allowed their likeness to be used and adapted by these games to provide entertainment to millions. It is another potential revenue stream for the NFL that could be looked at in the future, and a franchise as savvy and as recognizable as the Patriots would certainly fit the bill for a potential option for an NFL-themed slot game.

Retooling The Offense

However, that would be dependent on the success of Belichick and Jones in restoring the Patriots back to the top of the NFL. Jones had his peaks and troughs as a quarterback, which was to be expected of a rookie player thrown into his first season. There were great moments where the Patriots’ offense performed as it did under Brady, putting the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars to the sword with fifty-burgers. They were equally on point against the Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans.

When running backs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson were in full-flow, it opened up the passing game for Jones to find Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne. Both Henry and Bourne were great free-agent pick-ups and will certainly be staples of the offense in 2022 and beyond. The issues arose when Jones was forced to keep pace with the leading offenses in the league, and that will be a driving factor for the quarterback and Belichick in the off-season. There’s no Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, or JaMarr Chase in New England. Jones does not have a top-tier target to line up when the chips are down or one that defenses have to accommodate for in their game plans.

Now that New England has the quarterback in place that can manage the offense as Belichick sees fit, they can start to assemble the complement pieces around him as per nbcsports.com. Brady had Deion Branch, Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, and Gronkowski to support his drive for titles, Jones now needs to cultivate his top targets to bring success back to New England and all the plaudits and grandeur that comes with it.