Getty New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.
Mac Jones appeared in three preseason games for the New England Patriots, helping his team to an undefeated preseason record and earning the starting quarterback job over veteran Cam Newton. Jones’ preseason stats helped coach Bill Belichick make the decision to go with the rookie first-round pick over Newton right away, handing him the keys to the offense for week 1 of the 2021 NFL season.
Jones’ play during the preseason earned praise from his teammates. “You can tell he had what it takes from the first practice with him. He’s constantly learning. Constantly trying to improve. He’s tough on himself but I think he has high expectations for himself,” running back James White told reporters, according to the Boston Herald, after it was reported that Jones would be New England’s starting quarterback and Newton would be cut.
White added, “When he comes into the huddle, he wants to control the huddle and make sure everybody that’s in there with him believes in him.. He’s building that confidence each and every day. Trying to improve each and every day. Because there’s a lot of stuff a quarterback has to do. He’s constantly in the film room. Constantly asking questions, trying to find ways to improve.”
Center David Andrews told reporters, according to CBS Boston, “He’s done a good job being vocal at times, making mistakes and keeps moving forward. That’s part of it. We all make mistakes and as a guy who has gone through that a bit, you see that and keep moving forward. In a football game you’re going to do something wrong. But give up a sack one play and then go run block or block them again. … I think he’s done a good job, but we all have a lot to improve. We have another chance to do that today.”
Here are the Patriots quarterbacks full preseason stats, along with some highlights:
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Mac Jones Preaseason Stats Were 36-52, 1 Touchdown, 0 Interceptions
GettyMac Jones during a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mac Jones finished his preseason with a stat line of 36 completions on 52 attempts, for a 69% pass completion rate, along with 1 passing touchdown, 0 interceptions or fumbles and a 97.3 quarterback rating. He threw for an average of 7.5 yards per attempt and was sacked 5 times.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones had the highest PFF Grade among rookie quarterbacks, finishing with a score of 92.2, ahead of New York Jets’ Zach Wilson (85.7), Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence (78.3), Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields (67.6) and San Francisco 49ers’ Trey Lance (56.7).
How did Mac Jones perform in the preseason by advanced passing metrics relative to the other ten drafted quarterbacks from the 2021 class?
Jones ranked among the top 3⃣ drafted rookies in CPOE (3rd), net passing EPA (2nd), and pass EPA per dropback (2nd).
According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Jones’ completion percentage of 69.2% was the third highest in the NFL among the quarterbacks drafted in 2021. He had a -0.6% completion percentage over expected, a total EPA of +11.5 and an EPA/Dropback of +0.20, both of those ranked second among rookies.
These Are All the Top Plays From Mac Jones’ First Preseason Games
Jones and the Patriots played the Washington Football Team, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants during the 2021 NFL preseason. The Patriots beat Washington 22-13, defeated the Eagles 35-0 and beat the Giants 22-20 to close out the preseason on August 29, two days before Jones was picked as the Patriots starter.
Jones threw his first preseason touchdown in the game against New York. Jones hit Isaiah Zuber in stride for the third-quarter score. He finished the Giants game with a stat line of 10-14 with 156 yards along with the 1 touchdown.
In the game against the Eagles, Jones was 13 for 19 with 146 yards passing.
Against Washington, Jones was also 13 for 19, and threw for 87 yards.
Mac Jones Finished His Alabama Football Career With 6,126 Yards, 56 Touchdowns & 7 Interceptions
GettyMac Jones during the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Mac Jones was the starting quarterback at the University of Alabama for two years. He replaced Tua Tagovailoa in 2019 as a sophomore after Tagovailoa went down with an injury, and then led the Crimson Tide to the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship in his junior season, winning the Davey O’Brien trophy.
According to the Alabama football website, Jones finished his career in Tuscaloosa with 413 completions in 556 attempts, good for a 74.3 completion percentage, along with 56 passing touchdowns to 7 interceptions. His career quarterback rating at Alabama was 197.6. He threw for 6,126 yards in his Alabama career.
During his junior season, when he played in all 13 games, Jones was 311-402 with 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. He threw only 4 interceptions during the season. Jones wasn’t much of a rusher during his time at Alabama, but he did run for two touchdowns, one during his 2019 season and one during his 2020 season.
In 2020, Jones’ final season at Alabama, he was first in the nation in passing yards, first in the nation in pass completions, had the highest pass completion percentage and passing efficiency rating and was second in the NCAA in passing touchdowns.