'Climb the Mountain': QB Mac Jones Has Faith in Patriots Growth
Peaks and valleys was a theme for the New England Patriots and quarterback Mac Jones last season.
As a rookie starter, Jones and the team got off to a tough 2-4 start before reeling off a seven-game win streak. The Patriots then ended the season losing three of their last four games before the embarrassing 30-point playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.
And after Friday's 23-6 loss at the Las Vegas Raiders in New England's preseason finale, there's more peaks to be discovered. Just as long as the Pats keep climbing.
"It's not like we're in the middle of the season here," Jones said. "You want to peak when you want to peak and right now we're where we are and we're just gonna keep growing and climb the mountain."
Jones played four drives, going 9 of 13 passing for 71 yards and an interception that set the Raiders up for a touchdown and an eventual 10-0 lead. On the pick, Jones forced the throw into a crowd of Vegas defenders.
It was essentially a pass straight to Raiders linebacker Luke Masterson, a play that brought about some admitted frustration for the second-year quarterback. But his fiery passion for fixing the preseason mistakes begins with the mindset of "cleaning the plate."
"I think I care a lot about this game and I sometimes get a little bit too passionate," Jones said. "But at the same time, it's a great point, don't let it carry over and I don't think I did that after the interception. I tried to just clean the plate and start fresh and sometimes that's getting the frustration out and moving on."
Mentally, his head is in the right place. But Jones knows at the end of the day, it comes down to the physical execution on his part of the deal, realizing that he could be putting his offensive line in a poor spot while hesitating in the pocket.
"I've got to do a better job of stepping up and delivering the throws," Jones said. "I've got to do a better job of just stepping up in the pocket and getting the ball out instead of running around and putting my line in a bad position."
While his individual mistake was one of the night's main lowlights, Jones is staying focused on how the team can grow as one after gaining a plethora of learning lessons from Friday's loss.
"We're all gonna come together and be strong," Jones said. "I hate seeing it's the preseason, but there's a lot you can learn from preseason games ... We just gotta do a better job of playing better out there. Everybody's working hard, but it doesn't matter if you can't perform on game day."
The Patriots will have a week off before showing if they can indeed be ready to perform on game day, as New England will travel to Hard Rock Stadium to face an AFC East division rival in the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 11.
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