Can’t blame the loss of the Patriots for having a rookie quarterback

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FOXBORO For Mac Jones, it didn’t take long to win over the masses.

To say that a star was born at Gillette Stadium in his debut as a rookie might be a bit of an overstatement since his only game.

Add the fact that the Patriots lost, and it’s hard to anoint anyone. Without a doubt, the 17-16 loss to the Dolphins in Game 1 of the season is going to sting for a while considering how it’s played out.

But boy, the kid was awesome.

Once the nerves calmed down, the training wheels came loose and Josh McDaniels stepped out of rookie protection mode, Jones showed why he was picked to be the Patriots quarterback this season against Cam. Newton.

Basically, he’s got all it takes in balance, precision, icy water running through his veins and, yes, toughness.

And with Jones-inspired performances, the Patriots have a sense of hope and excitement this season, even when lost.

He really couldn’t have done better to give a glimpse into the future except to win the football game. It was about as good as you could have hoped for a first-round pick in its opener.

It was not on him that the penalties (8 for 84 yards) and the fumbles (2 killers) ultimately derailed the Patriots in the game, the most expensive being a Damien Harris fumble on the 11-yard line at the end of the fourth quarter with Jones ready to take them for the green light score.

Going 29 for 39, for 281 yards and a touchdown, with no turnovers, was beyond what many expected, especially against a defense from Brian Flores.

It was truly a coming out night.

His only fault, if you could call it that, was converting only one of four chances in the red zone.

“I think we can get better, that’s just the way it is to look at it,” Jones said after the game. “It definitely wasn’t good enough, starting with me… we lost, so it’s not good enough.”

Before the game McDaniels, the offensive coordinator, told Jones to take advantage of the day because he would never have another opener as a rookie.

Jones said: “But that’s not how I wanted it to be.”

Considering how many times he talked about needing to get better, and it wasn’t good enough, he even sounded like a leader.

In any case, shape or form is this loss on him. The Patriots collectively botched this due to mistakes made on both sides of the ball, which isn’t the typical Patriot Way.

Jones helped them stay in the game by not playing like a rookie.

After a rocky start in his opener, Jones settled in and essentially transformed himself into such an impressive quarterback during training camp and preseason.

And with each set, he got better and his confidence grew.

Of course, the Dolphins bombed him early and continued to send rushers down the middle throughout the contest.

After an initial “oh my god, is Bill Belichick really going with this kid moment” when Jones panicked at the pressure of the first set and made a back pass that was essentially a fumble that the Patriots did. recovered, the rookie shook off the mistake, and ultimately called off the blitz whenever Flores called him.

He displayed a calm under pressure rare for a rookie, and took advantage of every turn.

Even Flores was impressed: “I thought he was doing a very good job. He released the ball, was able to sort of shift his attack, recover the first tries, lead them down the field. Yeah, I think he did a really good job.

With the score of 10-10 at halftime, Jones had scored 14 for 19 for 133 yards, with a touchdown pass. He had a 110.2 quarterback rating halfway through the game. He maintained that pace throughout. He has only been sacked once.

Most impressive, he stood and took punches to make plays. The Dolphins attacked almost every round, registering eight hits from the quarterback, but he hung on and delivered the ball with free blitzers coming in and giving him a pop as he unleashed the ball.

And while the Dolphins might have boasted the best third-down defense in football last year, that didn’t faze Jones at all. He converted 11 of 16 third-down chances.

The Patriots couldn’t convert on the third try to save their lives last season. It’s a different story with Jones at the helm.

He made passes everywhere. He hit receivers, full backs, tight ends, spreading the ball across eight different receivers. It was a familiar look for the Patriots offense.

He just couldn’t find the end zone more than once.

“He’s definitely got a lot of balance,” said James White, who caught six passes for 49 yards, nothing better than the 26-yarder Jones perfectly floated in his arms to convert a huge first down on a game. from 3rd and 11th. “It wasn’t perfect, but he kept us in it, keeping everyone in the caucus motivated. Obviously, it wasn’t our best offensive football game. We definitely need to play better in the red zone.

Nelson Agholor, who had 5 catches for 72 yards, capturing Jones’ first NFL touchdown pass, also sees a bright future for the kid.

“I thought he did well. I think he will only get better, he is the type of player he is, ”said Agholor. “He’s very tough. He stays in the game and plays hard.

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