Ted Johnson: Brissett was ‘a detriment’ to Patriots in loss vs. 49ers originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots are not getting the kind of quarterback performance they need from starter Jacoby Brissett, but will it lead to a change at the position entering Week 5?
The Patriots fell to 1-3 after a 30-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s Week 4 game at Levi’s Stadium.
Brissett completed 19 of 32 pass attempts for 168 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The interception was returned by 49ers linebacker Fred Warner for a touchdown early in the second quarter that put San Francisco ahead 13-0. The veteran quarterback also fumbled twice and lost one of them.
“(The Patriots) have really been building him up — ‘He’s tough, he takes a lot of hits, he does everything we ask him to do, he’s protecting the football.’ He didn’t do any of that in the game today,” Ted Johnson said on NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Postgame Live, as seen in the video player above.
“A horrible interception and really was a key part in losing this game. The Patriots defense had some impact on that, but it was just the first game all season where I say Jacoby was a detriment to your team today.”
It’s important to note that the Patriots offensive line played poorly again. Brissett was sacked six times and took 10 hits. But there’s no question that Brissett’s performance Sunday simply wasn’t good enough. The Patriots don’t have enough offensive firepower to overcome multiple turnovers and expect to be competitive with the defending NFC champions.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo was asked in his postgame press conference if he’d consider switching quarterbacks after his team’s third straight defeat.
“At this point, Jacoby is our starting quarterback,” Mayo told reporters.
“I haven’t watched any film or anything like that. He’s been a great leader. He just broke the huddle down after I talked to the guys. We have to watch the film. We have a long flight to go watch the film. We’re always evaluating every single position.”
The Patriots host the rival Miami Dolphins next Sunday in a Week 5 matchup at Gillette Stadium. It’s the first of two straight home games for New England before the team travels to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7.
Will we see a quarterback change at some point during this stretch? If it doesn’t happen, it’s hard to expect the Patriots offense to win any of these games. It’s extremely difficult to beat anyone when the passing attack poses little to no threat.