FOXBORO — At this stage in his NFL profession, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones hasn’t had a lot success as an underdog.
He hasn’t been capable of elevate the Patriots when needed, which would be the case Thursday evening towards the favored Buffalo Bills. The Pats are 2-7 as underdogs with Jones beginning.
Those two wins?
One was at Buffalo final yr in a windstorm. Jones solely threw three passes within the sport.
The different was a highway victory in Los Angeles towards the Chargers. Jones didn’t throw a landing go within the 27-24 upset and barely accomplished half his passes, going 18-of-35 for 217 yards. On Thursday, he’s going to need to do extra, or else the Patriots will proceed to be mired in mediocrity, which is the place they’ve been since Tom Brady left.
On Thanksgiving evening towards the Vikings, Jones produced his greatest sport of the season. Only, he wasn’t capable of do a lot with the sport on the road within the fourth quarter. The Patriots went three-and-out, three-and-out, and turned the ball over on downs, earlier than the clock ran out on a 33-26 defeat.
Statistically, with Jones passing for a career-high 382 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers, it’s laborious to be too essential of the efficiency. But in the end he didn’t ship.
“We want to be able to score more points and win the game, so that’s all that I care about,” Jones stated after the loss. “That’s all that we care about is winning, and we didn’t do that tonight.”
It’s not all on Jones after all. But being the quarterback, that’s often the place it begins.
While the fact-finding mission on Jones and whether or not or not he’s a franchise quarterback has been made tougher in Year 2 with a brand new set of coaches and a brand new offense, it could be good to see him take down an elite crew amid all the interior chaos.
To this level, there’s been little proof to counsel Jones can get the job carried out.
Thus far, he’s 12-10 as a starter. Of these dozen wins, eight had been blowouts. There was just one comeback, a highway win over the lowly Texans final season. But nothing the place he’s put the crew on his again and delivered within the clutch en path to victory.
Being a first-round decide and having gained a nationwide championship after working up the ranks at Alabama, it needs to be in his aggressive DNA.
Granted, Jones had an awesome surrounding forged with the Crimson Tide. And whereas he doesn’t have weapons that examine to Tua Tagovailoa’s arsenal in Miami, or Jalen Hurts’ meeting in Philadelphia, he nonetheless needs to be able to delivering with what he has.
That’s why greater than midway by his second season, Jones must beat a crew — and an opposing quarterback — he’s not speculated to beat.
Three passes in a monsoon doesn’t depend. Barely dropping to Brady’s Buccaneers and Dak Prescott’s Cowboys final season additionally doesn’t get him many type factors.
He wants that defining sport the place he breaks by and delivers a professional upset. Or scores extra when the protection surrenders 20 or extra factors. This season alone, Jones is 0-4 as a starter if the opposing crew hits 20 or extra.
Taking down the Bills by scoring nevertheless many factors it takes would definitely be an excellent place to begin for him and the Patriots, who’re 6-5, and presently out of a playoff spot.
Teammate Hunter Henry is steadfast in his assist of Jones, and believes he’ll get the job carried out.
“He’s doing a great job, man,” the Patriots tight finish stated of Jones throughout a Monday afternoon information convention. “This yr has been powerful at instances. Just going by an harm and battling his manner again. It’s enjoyable to see him have success and simply the chief he’s.
“We just continue to ride him throughout this whole year. He’s a stud. I’m glad he’s my quarterback. Glad he’s our quarterback. Excited to go out there and compete every single week with him.”
Jones’ fellow 2021 draft class mate Trevor Lawrence obtained the upset monkey off his again Sunday, when he rallied the Jaguars from two fourth-quarter deficits to beat the favored Ravens. Lawrence led a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard landing go to Marvin Jones. Then he hit Zay Jones for the 2-point conversion with 14 seconds left to finish the Jaguars upset over the AFC North frontrunners.
In 28 begins, it marked Lawrence’s most dramatic come-from-behind NFL victory. It additionally figures to be the second Jaguars followers will look again on and say that’s the place he took off, and an awesome profession was set in movement.
As everybody in New England and past is aware of, it occurred for Brady in his first Super Bowl, when the Patriots had been double-digit underdogs towards the Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf.
Brady took over on his personal 17 with the rating tied with 1:21 remaining and calmly moved the ball into place for Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard sport winner. It was that clutch sequence that set Brady’s profession in movement.
The level being, it could go a good distance if Jones was capable of lead the crew to an upset, and writer a kind of moments.
Beating Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis and the Jets twice doesn’t precisely improve the resume. Only a kind of groups has a successful document. If Jones & Co. are capable of take down the Bills, it may very well be the spark that helps land the Patriots a playoff berth, or on the very least, maintain them within the hunt.
Do it when the betting odds say you possibly can’t. Do it towards a greater crew with a greater quarterback. During his media session Sunday, Jones stated the Bills have the very best protection within the league.
If he beats them, and takes down Allen, that’s the type of assertion win you’re on the lookout for.
Source: www.bostonherald.com