New England Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones acquitted himself nicely against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Brady's return to Gillette Stadium, throwing for 275 yards and two touchdowns while completing 19 consecutive passes at one point. Jones got the Patriots in position to take a long field goal to win the game in the final seconds, but Nick Folk doinked a 56-yard try in the rain as part of a valiant effort in a 19-17 loss.
While Jones drew plenty of praise for his performance, he said the Patriots “don't really do moral victories,” according to PFT's Josh Alper. The rookie was also bummed about his one turnover, which was an interception. J.J. Taylor lost a fumble, so New England lost two turnovers to Tampa Bay's zero.
Even though Jones wasn't satisfied, he did at least admit that he and the Patriots made “some progress,” even in defeat. New England is just 1-3 on the season, which isn't ideal, but nearly beating the defending Super Bowl champions could be used as a stepping stone to better games in the future.
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The Patriots have a great opportunity to get back in the winning column next week when they face the lowly Houston Texans in Week 5. The Texans just got stomped by the Buffalo Bills and have lost three games in a row after winning in Week 1. Houston is also starting a rookie quarterback in Davis Mills, but he tossed four interceptions against Buffalo and is nowhere near the prospect Mac Jones is.
Jones hasn't been great or anything through four games, but he has been competent to the tune of a 70.0% completion rate, 1,012 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He hasn't taken too many chances down the field, but that will hopefully come in time. There are definitely reasons to like how he has played so far in his first season.
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