Mac Jones wore his emotions on his sleeve Monday night while at times potentially prompting parents to cover their children’s ears.
The Patriots cornerback was seen and heard shouting multiple expletives during the Patriots’ needed 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He also appeared to wave off offensive play-caller Matt Patricia at one point and, generally, was visibly frustrated for much of New England’s messy victory at State Farm Stadium.
But ESPN cameras also captured a relieved Jones happily embracing the much-maligned Patricia during the final moments of the Patriots’ win. The sophomore quarterback also spoke to sideline reporter Lisa Salters about all those F-bombs.
“At the end of the day, this is an emotional game,” Jones told Salters. “And I think everybody feeds off emotion. I think at times, we’re too flat, and that’s what I try to do: motivate my guys. They responded really well — the defense, everybody. So, shoutout to everybody on our team for responding and we gotta get to work.
“We gotta finish, get ready for next week against a good team.”
Jones completed 24 of 35 passes for 235 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception that wasn’t his fault. With the Patriots shorthanded on both sides of the ball, Jones made enough plays to help New England come out on a top in a must-win scenario.
Are New England’s issues on offense fixed? Hardly. And Jones clearly remains frustrated with the overall performance and direction of the Patricia-led offense. Nevertheless, the Patriots currently own the AFC’s final playoff spot and control their own destiny for the sixth seed.
New England will look to complete a sweep of its West Coast trip this Sunday night when it visits Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders.
