Not only is Mac Jones the second coming of Tom Brady. The New England Patriots rookie quarterback also has a little bit of Aaron Rodgers in him.
Obviously, we’re joking. It’s premature to make any definitive conclusions. But the hype surrounding Jones through just two NFL games is reaching a fever pitch, with various evaluations and stats painting the 23-year-old QB in a positive light.
Take the following stat that NFL Media’s Michael Giardi shared Wednesday on Twitter, for instance:
Mac Jones is the 1st QB since at least 1950 with 30+ pass attempts & a 70+ completion % in each of his first 2 career starts. Only one other QB since ’50 has had 60+ pass atts, a 70+ comp % & not thrown an INT in his first 2 starts. That QB was Aaron Rodgers, who sat 3 years.*
Impressive? Yes. Really random? Also yes.
This isn’t to discredit how Jones, the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has performed through two games with New England. He certainly has passed the eye test, doing exactly what head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have asked of him amid the Patriots’ 1-1 start.
Jones completed 29 of 39 passes (74.4% completion percentage) for 281 yards with a touchdown in New England’s season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins, then completed 22 of 30 passes (73.3% completion percentage) for 186 yards in the Patriots’ Week 2 win over the New York Jets.
But it sure feels like we’ve reached the point of cherry-picking stats to make Jones’ career-opening success look even more magnificent than meets the eye. While he’s been very, very good, he’ll soon face much stiffer competition, starting this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints and continuing in Week 4 when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers arrive in Foxboro for one of the most-anticipated regular-season matchups in NFL history.
Just imagine the hoopla if Jones passes those tests.
