What has happened to Mac Jones? The Patriots narrowly avoid their first defeat in nearly a decade to the New York Jets as the defense stepped up and picked off Zach Wilson three times to win 22-17.
If the Patriots played against literally anyone else other than the Jets, they would have lost this game by 30 points. Not only was the offense utterly horrific this entire game, but the defense didn’t really start showing up until the second half.
Thankfully for all Patriots fans, the New York Jets played like the good ol’ New York Jets and blew a 10-3 lead (which should have been a 17-3 lead, but I’ll get to that in a minute) to get outscored 16-7 in the second half.
But first, we have got to address the elephant in the room for all Patriots fans: Mac Jones.
Mac Jones honestly looks like one of the ineptest quarterbacks I’ve ever seen right now. If he’s not throwing the ball into double coverage, he’s waiting ten years in the pocket for it to collapse around him to get sacked. His stat-line (24/35, 1 TD, 1 INT) actually made him look better than what his play on the field should have resulted in.
If it wasn’t for the Patriots TD drive coming out of halftime (which ended up being their only TD drive of the game), then Mac Jones would have finished with 25-30 less yards and 0 TDs as Rhamondre Stevenson proved once again that he’s a legit star running back in the NFL. His 30+ yard run to start off the drive was a fantastic showcase of his three main skills: agility, patience, and speed.
He managed to sneak past the oncoming Jets rush, wait for a gap in the secondary to form, and then he burst past Pro-Bowl LB C.J. Mosely to gain the 30 yards that lead to the Pats TD.
Back to Mac Jones, it’s extremely worrying how much he’s regressed since his Pro-Bowl rookie season. He was picked off once in this game for taking too long in the pocket, he was picked off again just before halftime but was ruled out for a roughing the passer call, and then he was nearly picked in the 4th quarter by C.J. Mosely, but the ball just bounced off his fingers.
If the Jets defense was a little more ruthless, then Mac Jones easily could have been benched in the first half like he was against Chicago. He’s got to get his game together or else Bailey Zappe will be the permeant starting QB going forward.
As for the Jets, they’ve got a huge issue that’s called Zach Wilson. Not only did he cost them the game with his three interceptions, but he also is a huge momentum killer as he is always panicking under pressure. The best quarterbacks in this league are always the ones with the most poise and confidence, even when being blitzed by 5-6 defensive lineman.
You don’t see Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, or Josh Allen just throwing the ball aimlessly when under pressure, but you see Zach Wilson do it 4-5 times a game. He did it twice that lead to two Devin McCourty interceptions, which put his career tally at 34 for the most among active players.
Still, this Jets team is really good and deserved the win today, but their ‘franchise’ QB cost them…again. And that has to be extremely worrying.
Now, with the Patriots now 4-4 and only a game behind the Miami Dolphins (5-3) and the New York Jets (5-3), this AFC East race to the playoffs will undoubtably go down as the most competitive in the last thirty years.
Oh, and a congratulations is in order for Bill Belichick as this win has put him above the great George Hallis for 2nd most all-time in NFL history. Of course, it would have been nice to get that win against Hallis’ Bears last Monday, but I guess Bill will be happy to settle with getting this win over the Jets. He’s been happy owning them for 20+ years now.
Images Source: Featured Image:
