FOXBOROUGH — Can one turnover free game be the key to unlocking Mac Jones’ potential?
You could see the frustration from the Patriots quarterback this season. Jones has never hidden his emotions, but it became telling when he’d look visibly upset following a bad play or an interception. As this season has gone on, we’ve seen plenty of both.
Jones entered last week having thrown at least one interception in his previous six games dating back to last season. That was the longest streak in the NFL. For a quarterback who was known for accuracy and decision making a year ago, the interception rate (4.2%, which ranks him 33rd of 34 qualified quarterbacks) has been surprising.
That’s why last week’s performance was encouraging.
Jones completed 20 of 30 passes for just 147 yards and one touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts. That stat line wasn’t remarkable. However, Jones snapping his interception streak just might be what he needs to break out of this second-year funk.
Following the Patriots’ win over the Colts, several Patriots offensive players said it could springboard him to more success.
“Yeah, that’s great. That’s great for Mac,” Patriots guard Michael Onwenu said. “It shows he’s reading the defense and taking what he can get instead of forcing things.”
“That’s a huge step,” Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson said. “That’s a great defense on that side. Ball security. That’s our No. 1 thing. When we win that turnover margin, we win. That’s huge in this locker room.”
As Stevenson noted, one reason for optimism with Jones was the talent level of the Colts secondary. Indianapolis plays with two Pro Bowl cornerbacks in Stephon Gilmore and Kenny Moore. The Colts came to Foxborough with one of the best defensive units in the NFL – ranked seventh in points scored per game (19.6), ninth in total yards allowed (319.8) and eighth in passing defense (199.8). Having an interception-free game against that defense was positive.
Coach Bill Belichick was asked about Jones’ recent decision making and gave a 423-word response. To sum it up, he said “one of the best things” Jones and the offense has done over the last two weeks is “take care of the football, in the passing game especially.”
Belichick then went into detail about how hard decision-making is for a quarterback. He explained that on any given play, a quarterback has a few seconds to digest a defense and make a throw. It’s about reading defensive players’ eyes and body positioning. Is the defensive back about to break forward or backward? Should you throw in front of a defensive player or behind him? A quarterback must answer those questions with a pass rush coming at him.
“Those guys see a lot and can process a lot. It’s really amazing how much they can do in a second, second and a half and then get the ball out of there,” Belichick said. “But that’s their job and that’s what they need to do is see the defense, read the coverage, throw the ball to the right receiver and manage the timing of the rush, either avoid it or slide to where there’s space that they can throw the ball. Like I said, a lot happens in those two seconds.”
Clearly, Jones has had to make some adjustments this season. It hasn’t been ideal for the second-year quarterback. The hope is his first turnover-free game last weekend will help push him in the right direction.
DAVID ANDREWS returned to practice Wednesday after missing the last two weeks. The starting center and captain suffered a concussion when he was blindsided by Chicago defensive tackle Mike Pennel in the Patriots’ loss to the Bears.
Pennel was ejected for the hit and criticized by his own coach and Patriots players. Matthew Slater called the hit “an extremely dirty play,” while Bears Coach Matt Eberflus said Pennel was “totally in the wrong.”
The play had ramifications for the Patriots offense. Andrews’ absence coincided with the team taking on two talented defensive tackles in New York’s Quinnen Williams and Indianapolis’ DeForest Buckner. Backup center James Ferentz struggled against both talented interior defensive linemen, and the results without Andrews were eye-opening.
Last week, Mac Jones was sacked four times and hit eight times against Indy. Buckner finished with three quarterback hits to go with a sack. Against the Jets, Jones was sacked a career-high six times to go with eight quarterback hits. Williams had a sack and quarterback hit.
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