Mac Jones’ first season as the quarterback for the New England Patriots came to an end on Saturday night with a loss to the Buffalo Bills. Although the performance in the 47-17 loss was far from what the organization hoped for, Bill Belichick still has plenty of positives to take away from the year.
Among them is the play of his rookie quarterback.
Jones was a steady presence for the Patriots all-season long and performed well-above his station in his first year as a pro. After New England drafted him with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 draft, the former Alabama star won the starting job in training camp over veteran Cam Newton and then led the Pats to a 10-7 regular season record. He played extremely well, especially during the first half of the season, and outperformed every other first-year quarterback in his draft class.
More importantly, Jones showed a tremendous amount of leadership for a rookie. Belichick recognized that over the course of the season and has already expressed his excitement to get back to work with the young Patriots quarterback next year.
“Mac helped us a lot and we look forward to working with him next year,” Belichick said after Saturday’s loss, per NESN.
Bill Belichick on Mac Jones’ season: “Mac helped us a lot. I look forward to working with him next year.” #Patriots
— Ryan Spagnoli (@Ryan_Spags) January 16, 2022
Jones ended the regular season completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. His individual resume puts him in the running for the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award, where he’ll compete against Cincinnati Bengals breakout receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
What Jones did this season wasn’t flashy as the Patriots strong run game put him in a position to be successful. However, he did exactly what Belichick asked of him and New England won plenty of games because he was at the helm.
Needless to say, the Patriots can’t way to see how Jones will develop next season in year two.
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