How is Robert Kraft feeling while watching Mac Jones’ downfall? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Robert Kraft didn’t know how right he’d be when he spoke to NFL Media’s Rich Eisen before Sunday’s game in Frankfurt, his first public comments about the Patriots since their nightmarish 2023 season began.
“I hope today is a chance to reset,” Kraft said. “and make this a much better year.”
Call him one-for-two.
His team’s 10-6 loss to the Colts in Germany felt like the end of something, meaning there must be a refresh of sorts on the horizon.
Another one.
It’s not exactly where the Kraft family would like to be after head coach Bill Belichick already made it very clear he wanted his team to “start over again” after a blowout loss to the Cowboys last month. It’s certainly not the desired result about three years after Belichick indicated 2020 was a year for the Patriots to reset its finances as they embarked on a post-Tom Brady rebuild.
Now, almost a full presidential term into this era of Patriots football, they’re in a worse position than when they started.
At 2-8, Kraft’s team is in last place in the AFC, and their odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick (6.4 percent) are more than 21 times greater than their odds of landing a postseason berth (0.3), per Sumer Sports. They have the second-worst offense in the league (14.1 points per game), and after Sunday’s dud, it looks like they’re ready to move on from starting quarterback Mac Jones and the first-round investment they made in him less than three years ago.
Kraft met with Patriots players before the game this week to tell them how “critical” it was. Sunday meant more to him. He cares about the game’s growth internationally. He cares about his team’s brand stateside and overseas. He wanted to give an audience heavy with Patriots fans something to cheer for. He wanted to provide an exciting product. The fans got neither.
Instead, the Patriots scored six points against an Indianapolis defense that ranked in the…
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