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FOXBOROUGH – Mac Jones didn't confirm the report that he'll be starting at quarterback for the New England Patriots on Sunday against the New York Jets. He didn't deny it, either.
In fact, Jones said he thinks he “deserves that” when asked he was asked if he plans to start on Sunday.
“I plan to start every game that I've ever played in,” Jones said. “So whether that was in peewee football or third string at Alabama, I always try to prepare as a starter. Like I always say, if it's one snap or 70, I'll be ready to go. That's all you can do, right? You can't really control anything else. I work really hard and put myself in position to do that.
“Yes, I think I deserve that.”
The report of Mac Jones starting came out after practice and not too long before Jones took the podium. Earlier Wednesday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said several times “We'll see how it goes today” in response to questions about the Patriots' quarterback situation. ESPN's Field Yates reported that Jones took 90 percent of the first-team snaps at Wednesday's practices, but Jones wouldn't confirm if the report was correct.
“I think obviously we don’t really talk about that,” Jones said. “Like I said, we’re going to go do the week of practice and then Coach Belichick, just like every other week, he’s going to tell you what you’re doing and how you have to play the game and what we have to do to win.
“He’s done a good job being very open with me and I think that’s the important part. That’s all you can ask for, right? Is just clear communication and going out there and putting all the other ‘rat poison’ away, playing as best I can play and become the best quarterback that I can be.”
Has Bill Belichick told Mac Jones that he will start on Sunday?
"Obviously, we don't really talk about that"
Presented by: @Hyundai pic.twitter.com/TWdXghfaCI
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) October 26, 2022
As for his health, Jones was actually removed entirely from the injury report on Wednesday. It's the first time Jones was a full participant since he suffered a high ankle sprain in the Patriots' Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which caused him to miss three games before returning to the field in Week 7 against the Chicago Bears.
Jones wouldn't put a percentage on how well he felt, but he appeared to be moving normally during the media portion of Wednesday's practice.
“I feel pretty good. I think, like I said, just trying to get my treatment. I've done a good job with that,” Mac Jones said. “Just like everybody else, just sticking to my routine and trying to get back into that. Try to just become a better football player. Whatever I can do to do that, just like everybody else on our team, I'm going to do. That just goes with working hard and treatment’s part of that, too.”
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Jones' return to game action on Monday didn't go well. He started and played the Patriots' first three drives, going three-and-out on the first two before throwing an interception on the third one. He completed just three of his six passes for 16 yards and he scrambled three times for 24 yards, suggesting that he wasn't either comfortable standing in the pocket or making a downfield pass on those plays.
Bailey Zappe replaced Jones and immediately led the Patriots to two touchdown drives but struggled for the remainder of the game, losing a fumble and throwing two interceptions. However, the rookie was receiving chants while Jones was booed during the Patriots' first three drives.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said that he planned to play both quarterbacks in the game, and both quarterbacks confirmed following Monday's game that they were told that.
As Mac Jones' spot as the Patriots' starting quarterback has been questioned, he said he and the team had “a good practice” on Wednesday. Jones said he and Belichick “have a plan” and he realizes that he has to play better in order for the Patriots to win moving forward.
One-handed!@JaquanBrisker gets the INT. 🙌
📺: #CHIvsNE on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/2HQeNdaFPc pic.twitter.com/4r3PeOsdHe— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2022
“For me, right now, that's to become a better quarterback individually and a better player,” Jones said. “I'm doing everything I can to do that. I just want to prove that every day. That's what I'm going to do. This is a team sport. So sometimes it's hard for me to talk about myself all the time.
“I want this to be about the great offense that we're trying to form. I think we're making good strides. We want to be better. So we all know that. We want to score more points. We want to do things better. Our coaches are doing a great job. They're working really hard. We've made a lot of progress together. I think being close is never good enough. But I think we're getting there. We just want to fix the things that we can fix and be better.”
Mac Jones has completed 65 percent of his passes for 799 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 70.8 passer rating while adding 61 yards and a touchdown on the ground so far this season.
