The mood at the New England Patriots is irritated after the 10:24 against the Buffalo Bills. Matt Patricia and the playcalling in particular are at the centre of the criticism.

Munich – Everything is still possible: After the 13th day of play, the New England Patriots have a 6:6 record. However, the result also means that the Pats can’t afford many more slip-ups, otherwise the playoffs will take place without them.

And as it happens, when the going gets tough in an NFL season, the tone gets rougher.

Quarterback Mac Jones, who played weakly in the recent 24-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, addressed playcalling in particular.

Mac Jones rages during the game

Jones was caught on camera loudly complaining during the game. Framed by the multiple use of the bad f*** word, Jones advocated more throws and less running game.

Clearly: it can happen in the heat of the moment, but the frequency stands out.

For he told reporters after the bust that it was all about responsibility, Jones said. “It starts with me. I want to be coached harder,” he said. That was already no longer subtle criticism, though framed by self-criticism. “I want to be a better player. The coaches have given us everything they have. But I want to hold everyone accountable, including myself. “

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne also criticized the calls after the loss to the Bills, especially the fact that the Bills picked up significantly more first downs than the Patriots. “We’ve got to make them do what we want them to do. Something they did against us worked, and something we did against them didn’t work. It’s just a matter of figuring it out every week. We’re still alive, but we’ve got to hurry up and find out,” Bourne warned.

At the centre of the criticism is Matt Patricia, who takes over the calls of the offence this season as Josh McDaniels’ successor. The Patriots rank 24th in the NFL in yards per game and scored a touchdown on just 37.5 percent of their attempts in the redzone, tied for last. To name just two examples.

Bill Belichick: No dramatic changes

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has now been addressed on the criticism during his weekly appearance on “The Greg Hill Show”.

“We coach everybody every week as best we can,” he said, “That’s not going to change.”

You have to do what you do better, Belichick urged. “I don’t think we should make a lot of dramatic changes at this point – it’s too difficult. If we just consistently do what we’ve been doing, I think we’ll be fine.”

It’s not just one thing, Belichick said, “One time it’s one thing, the next time it’s something else. We just have to play and practice more consistently. “