Mac Jones looked sharp in his first bit of NFL action.
The No. 15 overall pick threw 13 of 19 in five series, resulting in two field goals during the New England Patriots’ 22-13 win over the Washington Football Team. He looked comfortable from the first snap and had an innate ability to maneuver as a play-action passer.
Jones even placed a beautiful 50-yard pass right into Kristian Wilkerson’s hands that could’ve easily resulted in a touchdown. He was clearly confident in his abilities to make plays at the highest level.
But, you wouldn’t believe that was the case by hearing Bill Belichick’s evaluation of the rookie’s performance.
“I think really, it’s pretty much the same for everybody,” Belichick said, transcribed by NESN. “Some good things, so things that we need to — just in general, we need to play faster and react faster. That’s every position across the board. Practice is practice, but things happen at game speed, and that’s something that I would say everyone needs to improve on. Certainly at the quarterback position, but every other position, too.
“We haven’t had the live game exposure until (Thursday) night, so it’s a good opportunity for us to recognize how fast things are going to happen and have to match that speed. So I think the speed of the game for all of the rookie players was a little bit different, certainly, than anything we’ve been able to practice.”
Cam Newton only played two series and threw 4 of 7 for 49 yards, while having minimal exposure in the game. The way things are shaping up currently, this quarterback battle could be active until the Week 1 game approaches.
