Stephen A. Smith won't be paying much attention -- if any at all -- to Mac Jones on Monday night at Highmark Stadium.
Week 13 will bring Jones the toughest test of his NFL career to date. The rookie quarterback will be tasked with trying to help keep the Patriots atop the AFC East in one of the league's most hostile environments. After several weeks on easy street, Jones very well could be hit with a punch to the mouth in upstate New York.
Still, Smith believes nothing is at stake for Jones when the Patriots and the Bills meet for the first time this season. The "First Take" co-host only is concerned with how Buffalo performs.
"I ain't thinking a damn thing about Mac Jones from this 'Monday Night Football' game," Smith said Wednesday on ESPN. "My eyes are completely on the Buffalo Bills. What the hell you gonna do? What the hell you gonna do, Buffalo Bills? I mean, y'all was supposed to be the team. 'Bills Mafia, Buffalo Bills.' Patriots are in first place in the division that was supposed to belong to you the moment Tom Brady walked out the door and you got a rookie that showed up straight from Tuscaloosa ahead of y'all? Really? What you gonna do, Josh Allen? Two hundred-and-fifty eight million dollar man, what you gonna do?"
While there is more pressure on the Bills in this primetime game than the Patriots, eyes absolutely should be on Jones. With New England now looking like a lock for the postseason, Monday night will offer some indication as to whether Jones is capable of leading the Patriots to a deep playoff run. The 'Bama product has looked great over the course of New England's active win streak, but the Patriots beat up on shorthanded and overmatched teams in many of those games.
Should the Foxboro Faithful be deeply concerned if Jones lays an egg in Buffalo? No. But the upcoming division clash absolutely is an important assessment for the first-year signal-caller.
