Getty Mac Jones
It is becoming more clear with every performance, Mac Jones’ future is bright. The question is, when will we see the New England Patriots‘ rookie quarterback take over?
Jones was strong again on Thursday night on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles with 146 yard passing on 13 of 19 completions, no interceptions and no sacks.
However, Cam Newton was arguably better. Both quarterbacks delivered the ball on time and accurately against a Philadelphia Eagles defense playing without multiple starters.
Pro Football Focus showed just how good both Patriots quarterbacks were on Thursday night.
Completion % tonight with spikes & drops removed:
♦️ Cam Newton — 88.9%
♦️ Mac Jones — 88.9%
Jones continued his trend of playing against backups and third-stringers, but this was different for Newton who saw the Washington Football Team’s starters for two possessions in Week 1. Still, throws like this one from Jones to N’Keal Harry are undeniable.
Mac Jones connects with N’Keal Harry for a big gain on third down. 👀
Here is how Twitter reacted to Jones’ second preseason game.
Glass Half-Full Tweets
The expectations for rookie quarterbacks usually depend on where they were drafted. Jones was taken in the first round, but he went No. 15 overall.
There were four players taken ahead of him at his position, so that leads many to believe he has the lowest ceiling. Based on what we’ve seen from him so far, if that’s the case, the other four are headed to the Hall of Fame.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe delivered the Dragnet vibe with his tweet:
Mac Jones is 13 of 19 for 146 yards over four possessions. Of those six incompletions, there’s been three drops and a spike.
Pats Pulpit’s Twitter account likened Jones’ performance to the mastery of Dutch dart star Michael van Gerwen. This is a cool tweet.
CLNS’ Evan Lazar admired one of two long drives orchestrated by Jones. Noteworthy here is Lazar pointing out Jones “calling all his own plays.”
That’s a pretty impressive feat considering this is just his second preseason game. Lazar also dropped another “darts” reference.
That was a pretty darn good drive by Mac Jones. No-huddle. Calling all his own plays. Throwing darts. Very impressive. #Patriots
Many people take Fox Sports personality Skip Bayless’ takes with a grain of salt. Never one to shy away from a bold prediction, Bayless says he has a “gut feeling” Patriots head coach will start Jones in Week 1 of the regular season.
Nevermind the fact that Belichick has named Newton the starter twice.
Just a gut feeling: Belichick will start Mac Jones on opening day. Cam was never his guy. Cam was an MVP elsewhere. Belichick drafted Mac Jones to be his Brady … who returns to Foxboro Sunday night Oct. 3.
There is every reason to be excited about Jones. The Patriots appear to have drafted a player who is very capable of being the team’s leader on offense for years to come.
That said, it doesn’t appear as though he’s going to get a chance to do that in 2021–at least not in Week 1. Newton’s play was undeniable, and without some slippage, you cannot make a serious case for Jones to supplant him.
Glass Half-Empty Tweets
Former NFL safety and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark called out Eagles sideline reporter Howard Eskin. The two men had a little exchange on Twitter as Eskin took aim at Clark’s analysis of Newton’s performance.
Clark fired back implying that many aren’t judging Newton and Jones fairly.
Clark is right. Newton isn’t getting a fair shake in the eyes of many members of the media and most certainly with some of the Patriots’ fans.
Thankfully for Newton, none of those people will be a part of the group that make