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T
he New England Patriots have their quarterback of the future in Mac Jones.
Jones is coming off a great start to his NFL career throwing for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2021. He threw the most touchdowns out of any rookie quarterback in the entire NFL.
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But Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks that Jones is capable of even more in 2022. He thinks that the Patriots QB has a chance to grow into “the next Joe Burrow.”
“Mac Jones’ rookie season was admittedly uneven, but he was still the most successful quarterback in the 2021 draft class,” Ballentine wrote. “The Patriots quarterback has had an entire offseason to evaluate what went wrong last season and work toward consistently playing like he did in the middle of the season last year.
“He’s already demonstrated a high ceiling on the field. If another year to gain comfort and confidence in the system allows him to play at that level consistently, he has a chance to continue to be the most productive quarterback in the class.”
How Does Jones Compare to Burrow?
While Burrow did only play 10 games in his first rookie season, Jones had a much better performance in his rookie season. Burrow threw for 2,688 yards, 13 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
Jones threw for more interceptions in his rookie season but he also had more yards and passing touchdowns in more games.
In 2021, Burrow burst onto the scene leading the Cincinnati Bengals all the way to the Super Bowl. Burrow threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns. If Jones was to have a similar output, Patriots fans would be more than happy.
Is Jones Capable of Having a Similar Season?
Heading into the 2022 regular season, there are plenty of reasons for Patriots fans to believe that he can put up similar numbers to Burrow.
New England made some moves this offseason to help Jones do better this season. The Patriots acquired DeVante Parker via a trade with the Miami Dolphins and drafted Tyquan Thornton in the second round of the 2022 draft. Parker is now the only player on New England’s roster to have a 1,000+ receiving yards in a single season and Thornton was the fastest receiver in this year’s draft class.
The Patriots also have Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers returning to the roster. Meyers led the team in receiving yards with 866 yards and Bourne led receivers with 5 touchdowns. Meyers also has had some high praise for Jones.
“He’s the real deal. We’re all trying to catch up what’s in his mind, his vision,” he told Mike Reiss of ESPN. “I know him and the coaches have been doing a great job of just relaying information to us, but ultimately when we’re out there, he tells us. And we ask him, ‘How do you want it? Where do you want us to be? When do you want us to be there?'”
If Jones ends up being the next Burrow, Patriots fans should be excited as New England could become Super Bowl contenders once again in a relatively short amount of time.
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