FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien said he expects quarterback Mac Jones to start Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jones' status has been in question after he was pulled from the team's past two blowout losses in the second half.
"It's not about one guy," O'Brien said Tuesday. "He'd be the first to tell you that there's things that he has to do better, whether it's obviously take care of the ball, maybe read the route better, or get us into a better play. But it's a collective effort."
Asked if a mental break from playing in games might benefit Jones, O'Brien said: "No, there's no time for mental breaks. It's the grind of the season."
Jones is 105 of 168 for 1,008 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions on the season, as the Patriots are 1-4 and in last place in the AFC East. The team's 10 turnovers are the third highest total in the NFL, with O'Brien citing that as the top area to correct.
Jones has had four turnovers returned for touchdowns this season, and the Patriots have had 34 consecutive offensive drives without a touchdown, their longest streak under Bill Belichick (2000-present).
Belichick was asked after Sunday's 34-0 loss to the visiting Saints if Jones was still his quarterback and had said: "Yeah, there were a lot of problems. It certainly wasn't all him."
But Belichick also said he planned to "start over," and then the next morning left open the possibility of personnel changes across the roster. Bailey Zappe and Will Grier are second and third on the quarterback depth chart, respectively, with receiver/quarterback Malik Cunningham on the practice squad.
Belichick altered the team's schedule over the last two days, giving players Monday off, presumably so coaches could be together and formulate a plan on how best to proceed after being outscored 72-3 the last two games. The last time the Patriots scored just three points in consecutive games was the 1992 season.
Players returned to work Tuesday, which is their standard day off, with Jones still atop the depth chart, according to O'Brien.
"It's not about one guy but as the quarterback you're going to shoulder a lot of that. He understands that," O'Brien said. "He's working hard. He's in here early [today]. He was in here [Monday on a day off] thinking about things to do better. We're ready to go for practice and try to dig ourselves out of it."