New England Patriots QB Mac Jones put up good numbers and made some good plays in the New England Patriots 33-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday.

He completed 28-of-39 passes for a career-high 382 yards with two touchdowns with no interceptions, good for a passer rating of 119.8, but stats don’t win games.

Jones provided some positives in Thursday’s game, but there were multiple key moments where he and the Patriots offense failed to step up. They went 0-for-3 in the red zone against the team that held the worst red-zone defense in the league entering Week 12.

Jones also took three sacks at some of the worst times possible. He ate a sack during the two-minute drill at the end of the first half, causing the Patriots to call their final timeout. He took another sack on third down on the Patriots’ penultimate drive while they were seeking a touchdown to tie the game. And his final sack came when the Patriots were deep in their own territory and had no timeouts left in the final minute of the game.

Those are examples of why they are a 6-5 football team. Inconsistent play at QB, lack of talent at the WR play, and a defense that is inconsistent has been the story of their season.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson. Photo courtsey of The Athletic

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson made the Patriots secondary look like swiss cheese, with his 9 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown performance. Two of the top defenses in the NFL, Philadelphia and Dallas, held Jefferson and the rest of the Vikings offense in check.

The Patriots face the Buffalo Bills next week and still has games against the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Bills again before the regular season ends.

New England Patriots QB Mac Jones. Photo courtsey of AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn

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