Would a change at quarterback even matter for this lifeless Patriots offense?

FOXBORO -- Mac Jones has started 36 games for the New England Patriots over the last three seasons. After last Sunday's debacle against the Saints, most New England fans have seen enough.

But have the Patriots? We should find out in the coming days.

After Sunday's embarrassing 34-0 home loss to New Orleans, Bill Belichick said the team needs to start over again. ESPN's Adam Schefter hinted Monday that changes could be coming to the New England offense for Sunday afternoon's game against the Raiders in Vegas. 

It's going to take a lot more than a little tinkering to get the 1-4 Patriots to look like an actual, functioning football team. The best way to start over, it would seem, would be a change at quarterback. But given how putrid this offense has looked the last three weeks, and given the other options at QB, would a change under center even matter?

Would a new quarterback somehow get offensive linemen to block the correct assignment? Would it lead to receivers getting separation? Would it open up running lanes for Rhamondre Stevenson or Ezekiel Elliott? 

Jones is far from the only issue on the New England offense, but he is clearly very rattled at the moment. He's very rarely gifted a clean pocket by the offensive line, but when he is, Jones sees ghosts and forces passes. After a promising start to the season (which still included his share of mistakes), Jones has completely lost any mojo and confidence that he was feeling heading into his incredibly important third NFL season.

Maybe keeping Jones on the bench to start Sunday's game -- where he's ended up the last two games anyways -- would give the lifeless Patriots a much-needed jolt. Jones has been benched in each of the last two weeks as the Patriots have been shellacked by the Cowboys and the Saints. The quarterback has earned his spot on the sideline, tossing four interceptions while also coughing up a fumble. Three of those seven turnovers went for touchdowns for the opposition.

Meanwhile, the Patriots themselves haven't scored an offensive touchdown in 10 full quarters. New England last found an end zone in Week 3 against the Jets when Pharaoh Brown took a broken play 58 yards to the house in New Jersey. The Patriots' offense has scored six points since that touchdown, with the defense adding a safety.

The offense is not getting it done with Jones as quarterback. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like any quarterback would be able to get anything done behind this offensive line. It would take some kind of hybrid mashup with the legs of Michael Vick, the arm of Patrick Mahomes, and the brain of Tom Brady to move the ball behind this line.

That quarterback doesn't exist. The best the Patriots can do behind Jones is either Bailey Zappe, Will Grier, or Malik Cunningham. Zappe and Cunningham were both set free before the season and went unclaimed. Grier was brought in off another team's practice squad two weeks ago.

Zappe has a fun name and yes, he did win the games that he started in place of an injured Jones last season, leading New England to wins over the Lions and the Browns. But throughout the preseason and in his relief of Jones over the last two weeks, Zappe hasn't looked anywhere close to a starting-caliber quarterback. He's completed just 39 of his passes over the last two games, with countless overthrows to surprisingly open receivers.

That receivers are occasionally getting open for Zappe does give him a bit of a leg up on Jones at the moment. (Though the blowout nature of the games he's played in probably have something to do with that too.) But connecting with those receivers is a pretty important part of the battle.

There is a lot of unknown in Grier, whom the Patriots signed off the Bengals practice squad less than three weeks ago. He's made just two starts in his NFL career, and has a Jones-like stat line with four interceptions and a lost fumble. Maybe there is more there, and he does have a much better mobility element to his game.

Cunningham stirred up some excitement in preseason game No. 1, but was then barley heard from again. The Patriots didn't seem to believe that he was a capable quarterback at the NFL level and continued to work him out as a receiver. 

The Patriots have four quarterbacks on their roster and none of them appear to be the answer at quarterback. It has been four years since Tom Brady left, and the Patriots are no closer to finding his replacement than they were when Brady took his talents to Tampa Bay. That guy isn't on the Patriots at the moment.

That makes the present feel pretty grim and ... meaningless. Maybe they'll send Mac back out to take his licks and lumps in Vegas. Perhaps Zappe gets the nod to give the offense a new look. Or if Belichick is really willing to throw anything and everything agains the wall, maybe Grier gets a look.

None of it will fix the offense. It probably won't even move the needle. 

We're in Week 6 of the season, and we're already wondering if anything really matters at the most important spot on the team this season. No matter who is at quarterback the rest of the way, it's going to be a long and frustrating next three months for the Patriots.