Why Was Mac Jones Wearing Mismatched Jersey In Patriots-Bills?

A discerning eye could spot something different about Mac Jones on Sunday, and it had nothing to do with his uncharacteristically erratic passing.

For reasons unknown, the blue No. 10 jersey worn by the New England Patriots in his team’s 33-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium featured the franchise’s old letter and number font, which was discontinued after the 2019 season.

Here’s how Jones’ uniform looked on Sunday:

And here’s how it’s supposed to look (note the different “1”):

The nameplate on the back of Jones’ jersey also featured the Patriots’ Tom Brady-era lettering, which was more stylized. Compare his “N” and “E” to the ones on teammate Kendrick Bourne’s jersey:

When the Patriots introduced their current uniform set before the 2020 season, they essentially turned their Color Rush alternate into their primary uni and added a corresponding white version (with the same blue pants) for away games. They tweaked the font, however, switching out the one they utilized throughout Brady’s tenure for a simpler — and, one could argue, more boring — replacement.

That Jones was wearing the previous style was especially odd since he, as a rookie, wasn’t even on the Patriots the last time they used it.

These uniform consistency issues were prevalent in New England early last season but had been largely remedied in 2021.

In his mismatched jersey, Jones endured arguably his worst passing performance as a pro, completing just 14 of 32 passes for 145 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss.