How Mac Jones Earned Unusually High Praise From Bill Belichick Vs. Jags

FOXBORO, Mass. — Mac Jones’ resurgent performance in the New England Patriots’ pantsing of the Jacksonville Jaguars thoroughly impressed head coach Bill Belichick.

Coming off his worst game as a Patriot, Jones completed 22 of 30 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers in a 50-10 win over his hometown Jags at Gillette Stadium. The lopsided victory clinched a playoff spot for New England.

After the game, Belichick — who could be seen sharing a sideline laugh with Jones during the fourth quarter — was asked by a Jacksonville reporter about Jones piloting the Patriots to the postseason as a first-year pro. He responded with a rave review of the rookie quarterback.

“Mac is super consistent,” Belichick said. “Every day is really the same day for Mac. He’s always well prepared. He’s in early. He’s ready to go. He knows what we’re going to be doing, and he’s already got a head start on it. He maximizes the information that the coaches give him, maximizes the walkthroughs, the practice reps, and learns from whatever happens in those situations. He’s smart. He’s a good learner, but he’s got good instincts and good mechanics. He’s just worked hard to get better every day. A lot of consistency and great work ethic and really pays attention to details and has just improved in every area throughout the course of the year. Continues to improve on a daily basis.

“He’s just a really great person to coach because he’s so responsive to trying to do everything the way that you want to do it. (Offensive coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) has done a fantastic job with him, and Mac has really, I think, embraced the wisdom that Josh has transmitted to him, and he played extremely well (Sunday).”

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Though it came against a two-win Jaguars team that was depleted by a COVID-19 outbreak, Jones’ performance was an encouraging return to form for the first-round draft pick. He’d struggled against the Buffalo Bills one week earlier, posting career lows in completion percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating in a 33-21 Patriots loss. The week before that, he tossed two costly interceptions in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts before leading an ill-fated fourth-quarter rally.

Against Jacksonville, Jones regained the accuracy, command and poise that have defined his promising rookie season. He’ll look to maintain that momentum when the Patriots visit the Miami Dolphins this Sunday in their regular season finale.