Mac Jones Pays Homage to Patriots Offensive Line: “Appreciate What Those Guys Do”
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New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones continues to enjoy quite the season in 2021. Through his first 13 games, the Patriots rookie has passed for 2869 yards with 16 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 70.3. His consistency and poise has impressed his teammates, coaches, analysts and fans across the landscape of NFL fandom.
Still, for as much praise he has received in recent weeks, Jones’ 2-of-3, 19 passing-yards stat line from Monday’s 14-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills, has some salivating at the idea of finding a crack in the foundation of a potentially stellar career.
Did the Patriots intentionally extract their young quarterback from its gameplan due to a lack of confidence in his ability to play through the whipping winds of western New York?
Despite no evidence to support such a claim, some would argue, ‘yes.’
Jones, however, is one to neither buy into the specter of speculation, nor seek individual accolades. For Mac Jones, it is all about the good of the team.
Although Jones was used sparingly on Monday night, the Pats’ quarterback was content to allow his offensive line, as well as the running game, to take center stage. In the process, he gained a newfound respect for his teammates, especially his protectors along the offensive line.
“When you watch the film, you just appreciate what those guys do and how we won the game,” Jones told reporters on Wednesday. “That's the most important thing, regardless of how you do it, whether you throw it, run it, whatever the situation is. They did their part.”
Compiling 222 yards on the ground is a tall task for any running back corps, in any situation. However, when accounting for the strong winds rifling through Western New York on Monday, the Pats feat looks even more impressive. According to NextGenStats, Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 86 rushing yards over-expected against the Bills on Monday night. In getting superb blocking from their offensive line, the Pats backs ran with both patience and strength, more-often-than-not preventing negative plays.
The weather forced the Patriots to run. The Bills knew the Patriots would be running. New England did it anyway, and they did so at will. The primary reason for that was the play of the offensive line. The Pats’ line turned in a dominant performance in the trenches, allowing the team to average 5.2 yards per carry (not accounting for kneel-down yardage-losses) through strong pushes up front.
The numbers speak for themselves. Per Pro Football focus, the Pats o-linemen had themselves a day on Monday. Right tackle Trent Brown led all linemen with a 92.1 run blocking grade. With center David Andrews compiling a 78.7 grade, Isaishn Wynn 76.8.
Guard/tackle Michael Onwenu often aligned as the team’s sixth lineman, while fullback Jakob Johnson and receiver N’Keal Harry played a major role in making key blocks on the edge to spring both Harris and rookie Stevenson for big yardage. While the running backs were clearly impressive, the performance of the offensive line may have been New England’s most important ingredient for success on Monday. No one knows that better than their quarterback.
“Someone that I did leave out is Jakob [Johnson],” Jones said. “I think he deserves a lot of credit too, just the way he stuck his nose in there, and big Mike [Onwenu] too for coming in as a jumbo guy, along with the five offensive linemen. Obviously, the running backs and receivers did their thing, but everyone that was involved in blocking deserves credit. We are ready to move on from that game. It was an interesting experience, but we have to continue to move forward, and we've turned the page on that game, which is great.”
As the Patriots head into their bye week, their rookie quarterback will maintain his focus on the team’s final four opponents, as well as the primary task at hand. Leading the Pats back to the promised land of the postseason is something for which the 23-year-old would be most proud. The task will not be easy. Still, it is likely to be facilitated by the performance of a strong offensive line, finally living up to its preseason reputation.
