Mac Jones still hasn’t quite had that moment. Not yet. The New England Patriots rookie quarterback hasn’t put together a play that makes you sit back and say, “wow.” He hasn’t thrown a touchdown. He hasn’t connected on his deep passes for N’Keal Harry, Kristian Wilkerson or Gunner Olszewski in his first to preseason appearances. He hasn’t rushed for more than a few yards.
And that’s OK.
Because while Jones is lacking in the big play department — which isn’t his fault (more on that) — he has been razor sharp. He hasn’t made mistakes. And his completion percentage felt like a telling stat after the Patriots’ 35-0 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 of the preseason. Jones completed 68% of his passes, admittedly beating the second- and third-string defense.
“He’s definitely met expectations, at least for me,” receiver Jakobi Meyers said after the game Thursday. “I’m happy to see him go out there and put a good product on the field.”
Jones was ripping the ball into tight windows, with success over the middle and outside the numbers. The quarterback’s style, at least for now, isn’t going to leave the viewer wowed. But you also have to respect the workmanlike efficiency. His drives, after all, went for 90 yards (17 plays!), 75 yards, 70 yards and 3 yards. That’s a pretty darn good result for the rookie.
Check out Mac Jones opening his shoulder just slightly to widen the defenders and open up a little window to convert on 3rd down.
I do think Jones threw this low to save his WR a hit, too. pic.twitter.com/4XOXxnTKxS
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 20, 2021
Jones could have a few big plays under his belt. He nearly connected with Wilkerson for a touchdown in Week 1 of the preseason, but the receiver dropped the ball. Something similar happened on Thursday night, with Jones hitting Harry in the hands on a deep ball, only to have the receiver drop the ball and injure himself on the diving catch attempt. Heck, if we want to pile on the Patriots’ pass-catchers, we can also point out receiver Kendrick Bourne’s drop on the 2-point conversion and tight end Devin Asiasi’s drop on the goal line for what would’ve been a touchdown catch.
Jones put together yet another impressive performance in Week 2 of the preseason. It’s just that Newton was better, with an efficient night of his own. Jones and Newton are in tight competition for the quarterback job, but the veteran seems to be doing enough to keep the job for when the season starts. If New England doesn’t give Jones any work against the top defense in the final preseason game, he’s not winning this job.
