Getty Mac Jones
Don’t let Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu catch you hopping on the Mac Jones bandwagon. Mathieu took to Twitter to blast the flip-floppers and sleep football pundits who dismissed the New England Patriots‘ rookie quarterback prior to this season.
Mac Jones wasn’t trendy enough for y’all at first huh now y’all love him…. Man, y’all funny!!! Day in and day out!!! Y’all should be on Comedy Central
Every year it seems there is a player(s) who aren’t as highly touted as others at their positions, but who go on to prove they were worthy of as much–if not more–hype. It appears Jones falls into that category.
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Jones has easily blown away the other rookie quarterbacks in his class this season when it comes to all position-specific statistics, despite being the fifth quarterback taken behind the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, the New York Jets’ Zach Wilson, the San Francisco 49ers’ Trey Lance and the Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields.
While all four of the quarterbacks ahead of Jones have flashed the potential that got them selected first, second, third and 11th, respectively, the Patriots’ young signal caller has been the most consistent.
Through 10 games, Jones has 2,333 passing yards, 13 TDs and just 7 interceptions. Most importantly, his Patriots are 6-4 and he has started every game.
New England is on a four-game win streak and we’re beginning to hear whispers about the team being a true Super Bowl contender.
Patriots now rank third in the NFL in passer rating differential, a reliable metric in predicting Super Bowl teams. In seasons Pats have won the Super Bowl, they have ranked fifth, second, fifth, fifth, first and sixth.
A Buccaneers/Patriots Super Bowl would shatter every record known to mankind.
Hey, all y’all that were laughing at my Patriots could “mess around and go to the Super Bowl” take… Run it back today bruh! Ya feel me now, or we just gonna make more excuses for the Browns.
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While Jones has been unquestionably good this season, he has had a few benefits working for him that the other quarterbacks haven’t had in their situations.
Mac Jones is in the Perfect Situation
Jones hails from Alabama, where he played for Nick Saban, who is a good friend of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. The systems and culture are similar, and Jones has the perfect temperament for it.
He was winning from Day 1 because of this dynamic. Jones prides himself on limiting mistakes and playing within himself, which are all qualities the Patriots have loved from their quarterbacks. Like Lawrence and Wilson, Jones was handed the keys from Day 1 of his first regular season game, but he was also fortunate enough to play behind a solid offensive line, along with a tremendous set of running backs and a vastly improved set of receiving weapons over what the Patriots had in 2020.
Last but not least, Jones is also benefitting from first learning from veteran Cam Newton, whom he competed against for the starting spot, and also his mentor Brian Hoyer. None of the other quarterbacks had such an excellent support system.
Jones has shined and done the work, but the Patriots put him in a position to succeed.
Patriots Keys to Defeating the Falcons on Thursday Night Football
Jones’ next challenge comes on Thursday night in Week 11 when the Patriots go on the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Patriots are a superior team and the Falcons are coming off a 43-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
That said, New England must guard against complacency. The Falcons may be turned up considering they were embarrassed in their last game. There also figures to be a little something extra in the mix because the Patriots are beginning to look like the Patriots again.
If the Patriots limit penalties and protect the football, they should take care of business and run their win streak to five games.
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