Mac Jones Pick-Six Looks Even Worse In This Statistical Context

Darius Slay took it to the house

The Patriots’ first drive of the season was off to a promising start — before it ended in disaster.

Facing a third-and-5 from the Eagles 42-yard line, Mac Jones threw an interception to Philadelphia cornerback Darius Slay, who took it to the house. The play gave the Eagles a 9-0 first-quarter lead in Sunday’s home opener at Gillette Stadium.

Jones’ pass tipped off the hands of receiver Kendrick Bourne, but it was a poor throw. It’s possible the ball slipped out of Jones’ hands amid rainy conditions in Foxboro, Mass.

Take a look:

Jones’ pick-six looks even uglier when put into recent statistical context.

What do you think?  Leave a comment.

Mike Reiss, via ESPN’s stats department, revealed the pick-six was the fourth of Jones’ young career. In fact, that’s tied for the second most pick-sixes among all quarterbacks since Jones entered the NFL in 2021.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the field with six interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Of course, a quarterback isn’t always entirely to blame for a pick-six. Sometimes a receiver is at fault and/or offensive players display poor tackling on the return attempt.

However, in this case, Jones made a poor throw and delivered an even worse tackle attempt. Not a great start for a player under immense scrutiny and in need of a major Year 3 leap.

About the Author

Dakota Randall

Plymouth State/Boston University product from Wolfeboro, NH, who now is based in Rhode Island. Have worked at NESN since 2016, covering the Patriots since 2021. Might chat your ear off about Disney World, Halo 2, and Lord of the Rings.