The season opener didn’t end the way New England Patriots fans hoped, as they fell 17-16 to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.
However, at least Mac Jones played well.
Patriots Fans React to Mac Jones’ First TD Pass
We were all waiting on it, and it happened late in the first half of the New England Patriots’ Week 1 matchup with the Miami Dolphins.
Mac Jones tossed his first TD pass to Nelson Agholor, and it sent Twitter into a frenzy. Here is the pass:
First career touchdown for @MacJones_10! #ForeverNE
📺: #MIAvsNE on CBS
📱: NFL app
As you might expect, there were celebrations abound. The NBCS Camera Guys talked about veteran QB Brian Hoyer preserving the ball for Jones, who didn’t want it mid-game.
Mac Jones too locked in to care about keeping his first NFL TD ball.
Mac Jones’ first TD pass goes to Nelson Agholor. Jones then turned down the ball. Brian Hoyer held onto it for him🏈
The score had people excited and Jones played well throughout the evening.
Mac Jones throws his first career TD pass, finding Nelson Agholor from 7 yards out. They get him the ball and Brian Hoyer is screaming and yelling as Jones comes back to the sidelines. #Patriots take the lead, 10-7, with 2:30 left in the half.
Unfortunately, the positive vibes got a dose of negativity because of turnovers and penalties. The biggest one came inside the red zone when Damien Harris fumbled away the team’s chances to take the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Still, the Jones appreciation continued after the final whistle.
Mac Jones Era Starts Positively
If you had to put the Patriots opener into perspective, here are the stats you need to know.
- Mac Jones 29-39 for 289 yards and a TD
- Damien Harris 23 rushes for 100 yards and one HUGE fumble
- Nelson Agholor 5 receptions for 72 yards and a TD
- Patriots 8 penalties for 84 yards
- Patriots 2 HUGE turnovers
WMass’ Kayla Burton tells us what she learned after watching Jones’ first game and the multitude of Patriots errors.
What I learned today from #Patriots…
🏈 (29-39, 289yd) Mac Jones is good.
🏈Ball security is everything.
You can’t help but wonder, which Skip Bayless did aloud, but would the Patriots have scored more today with Cam Newton.
“But I would believe Cam would’ve scored more than 16 today.”
How do we feel about this take from Skip Bayless after Mac Jones’ performance for the Patriots? t.co/WifKFWDehG
We cannot say that Jones’ teammates dispute this notion, but they were very complimentary of their rookie quarterback.
James White was encouraged by the play of his rookie quarterback. Said Mac Jones was poised, did a good job of keeping guys motivated in the huddle.
“If we protect him and give him plenty of time to find the open guy, he’ll do that.”
James White also felt Jones gave them a chance to win.
James White on Mac Jones: “He kept us in it.”
As one would expect, Damien Harris was the target for tons of blame after the loss, but Jones showed excellent leadership during the game and after. Take a look at this quote:
Mac Jones asked if he spoke to Damien Harris after the fumble: “It’s not all on Damien. I could have done things better so we weren’t in that position.”
Immediately after the fumble, Jones could be seen clapping and trying to encourage his defense to pick up their teammate. It didn’t work, but you have to love the energy and leadership. There is no doubt in my mind, he has the goods.
Here’s more of the accountability that you loved to see. It’s similar to the way Newton conducted himself during down times in 2020.
Mac Jones on Damien Harris’ fumble: “Damien is obviously disappointed but it’s not all on Damien. I could’ve done things better so we weren’t in that position.”
Perhaps the best aspect of Jones’ debut was his ability to spread the ball around to multiple receivers. Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub made mention of it.
Mac Jones did a great job spreading the ball around today, something that we saw him do in the summer. It’s not uncommon for rookie QBs to lock on to a favorite target, but that hasn’t been the case for him so far.
You’d like to see someone from this group emerge as the No. 1 guy, but until that happens, Jones did an excellent job taking what the defense was giving him. The final result is the bottom line, but don’t let that dim what was otherwise a bright start to an even brighter future for Jones.
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Twitter Reacts to Mac Jones’ Performance in NFL Debut