FOXBORO, Mass. — Mac Jones was back to full practice participation this week for the first time since his high ankle sprain.
How did he look out there? Motivated, according to his top receiver.
“He’s normally pretty locked in,” New England Patriots wideout Jakobi Meyers said Friday. “But this week, he definitely kicked it up a little bit. I’m excited for him to go out there and just show everybody what he can do.”
Jones, who missed three straight games and was a limited participant in last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears, was removed from the Patriots’ injury report Wednesday, clearing him to have a full workload this Sunday against the New York Jets.
Head coach Bill Belichick said Jones will start at quarterback this week but made no such commitment for future games, suggesting the second-year pro needs to prove to the coaching staff that he deserves to keep his starting job. Jones has thrown six interceptions in four games this season and ranks last among qualified QBs with a 5.8% interception rate.
Meyers said he’s not worried about Jones’ confidence being shaken by the boos and Bailey Zappe chants he heard from the Gillette Stadium crowd Monday night. Jones went 3-for-6 for 13 yards with an interception across three series against Chicago before being replaced by Zappe, the rookie backup who steered New England to wins in Weeks 5 and 6.
“No, not at all,” Meyers said. “I feel like he’s one of those guys who’s kind of been in high-(pressure) situations with games on the line and stressful situations. He’ll bounce back. He’ll be all right.”
Meyers said after the Bears game that he was not informed of head coach Bill Belichick’s plan to play both Jones and Zappe. Other offensive players were surprised, as well. Belichick took a different approach this week, informing the team on Wednesday that Jones would start against the Jets. Meyers downplayed the change in tactics.
“It’s kind of the same thing for us either way,” he said. “Sometimes, things change. Either way, we’re ready. I mean, yeah, thanks for telling us, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to go out there and play, whoever’s throwing the ball. Whoever is trying to tackle us, we’ve got to beat him. So we’ve just got to go out there and do our jobs.”
