Patriots Leader Lauds Mac Jones For Staying Tough Despite Big Hits

FOXBORO, Mass. — It could’ve looked a lot worse for the Patriots offensive line Sunday. When people found out New England would start two rookie guards and a right tackle who missed all of training camp, most probably expected Mac Jones to get sacked more than two times.

Yet the group held its own, with the Patriots nearly upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles, who possess arguably the best front seven in football. However, the reality is Jones did face a ton of pressure and took some big hits in the season opener at Gillette Stadium.

The third-year quarterback was pressured 17 times, per Pro Football Focus, the seventh-most of all signal-callers in Week 1. But each QB ranked ahead of Jones was responsible for at least one of the pressures, whereas the Patriots O-line was to blame for 100% of the pressures on Jones, according to PFF’s metrics.

Most notably, Jones took this big hit while firing a perfect third-and-12 pass for Kendrick Bourne, who dropped the ball:

My goodness.

Clobbered. Tight window. Game-changer on 3rd and 12 if it’s caught. https://t.co/y3eRtMawRW pic.twitter.com/rPudTz0Krh

— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) September 12, 2023

That Jones stood tall in the pocket despite taking those kinds of hits didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates.

“I thought he showed… we talk about toughness as an O-line and running backs,” center David Andrews said Wednesday morning. “But I think as a quarterback, to stand in there and take some shots and deliver the balls — I think that’s how a quarterback shows his toughness. And I thought he did a really good job for us.

“You sometimes don’t notice it during the game, right? Because it’s the game and you’re not seeing everything. And then you get home and watch the film, and watch him standing in there knowing he’s gonna take a shot, delivering the ball. I think that shows a lot of maturity and toughness from him. We’ve gotta do a better job of keeping him upright and not letting him take some of those shots.”

Jones obviously would prefer to always play in a clean pocket and not take big hits. But NFL quarterbacks rarely are afforded such luxuries.

“I take a lot of pride in that,” Jones said Wednesday when asked about being viewed as a “tough” player. “Just standing in there, taking shots if I have to. Just continuing to grow in that matter. I always felt like, as a quarterback, you have to show that in your own way. Some guys do it differently than others, but you also have to be smart.

“This is a league full of a lot of really good players, and they’re coming to knock your head off. So, gotta make sure you show that passion and show it in unique ways. For me, it’s standing in the pocket and ripping it.”

The Patriots, with Bill O’Brien leading the offense, were able to work around some of Philly’s relentless pressure.

Jones’ average time to throw was 2.52 seconds, good for fourth least among all Week 1 quarterbacks, per NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Clearly worried about the Eagles’ front seven, the Patriots schemed numerous short passes and quick-hitting plays to alleviate the pressure on Jones.

And they might need to do so again Sunday night when the blitz-happy Miami Dolphins visit Gillette Stadium. We still don’t know whether guards Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu will be ready for their season debuts, and left tackle Trent Brown missed Wednesday’s practice.

Unfortunately, Week 2 could wind up offering another reminder of how good Jones is at playing through crushing hits.