Why Mac Jones Blamed Himself For Patriots’ Week 1 Loss To Eagles

FOXBORO, Mass. — Mac Jones delivered his first 300-yard, three-touchdown performance of his NFL career Sunday afternoon.

You’ve never known it by watching his postgame news conference.

The Patriots quarterback was borderline despondent after New England’s season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium, placing the blame for the 25-20 defeat squarely on his own shoulders.

Jones said he was responsible for the Patriots’ 16-0 first-quarter deficit, and for their failure to complete a late-game comeback against the reigning NFC champions.

“I really didn’t throw any good passes on the first drive,” he said. “So, a slow start, and it starts with me. I’ve just got to watch the tape and clean it up. But I definitely feel like we fought hard.

“The rookies played really well. The offensive line played really well. The skill players played really well. I definitely let the team down tonight. We couldn’t score early, and we just fell behind because of me. I just put it on myself.”

Jones’ fourth pass of the game was intercepted by Eagles cornerback Darius Slay and returned 70 yards for a touchdown. The ball hit off wide receiver Kendrick Bourne’s hands, but the throw was high.

“That one I threw too high in the rain,” Jones said. “That’s going to happen. It was a bad throw.”

A fumble by running back Ezekiel Elliott on the Patriots’ next play set up another Eagles touchdown, and New England’s offense followed that up with three straight three-and-outs.

But then, the Patriots’ offense awoke. They scored on each of their final two drives of the first half — touchdown strikes to tight end Hunter Henry and Bourne — to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 16-14. After three second-half field goals by Jake Elliott stretched the Eagles’ advantage, another Jones-to-Bourne TD made it a one-score game with 3:37 remaining.

But Jones lamented a pair of missed opportunities in the final frame. The Patriots turned the ball over on downs at Philly’s 17-yard line early in the fourth quarter, then came up empty on fourth-and-11 from the Eagles’ 20 with less than a minute remaining.

“It’s not very good,” Jones said. “Not good by me. They gave me the ball twice to win the game, and I couldn’t do it. I’ve just got to go back and watch and see what I can do better, but as the quarterback, that hurts, right? You get a chance to win the game twice and can’t do it.

“So, just gotta learn from it. You only get so many opportunities in the NFL to do that, and I felt like I definitely let the team down.”

The Patriots also went three-and-out after Jabrill Peppers forced a Jalen Hurts fumble to give them the ball in Philadelphia territory immediately after Bourne’s second score.

The Eagles, who ranked third in the NFL in points per game last season, scored their lone offensive touchdown in the opening quarter and managed just three field goals after halftime.

“It was a great play,” Jones said. “Pep is the man. He told me to go win it, and we couldn’t do it, so that hurts me. They gave me the ball back to win it multiple times. … Got to do better on my part. When the defense holds the best offense to that few points and gets the ball back, I’ve just got to be better.”

Despite Jones’ dour tone, the Patriots’ passing game did show clear signs of improvement in its first game under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. Jones passed for 300 yards for just the fifth time in his career and threw three touchdowns for just the fourth time despite missing one of his top receivers (DeVante Parker) and both of his starting guards (Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu).

The Patriots started two rookie O-linemen in Atonio Mafi and Sidy Sow, and first-year wideouts Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte both saw significant snaps and were on the field in crunch time. Jones’ final pass of the evening was a sideline throw to Boutte that would have extended the drive if the LSU product had been able to get both feet down in bounds.

New England’s offense — an unmitigated disaster last season — should continue to improve once those key pieces and Jones and his teammates get more comfortable in O’Brien’s scheme.

That point remains, however, that since Jones arrived in 2021, the Patriots have yet to win a game when the opponent scores at least 25 points.

“At the most critical times, I played my worst,” Jones said. “… When it’s the hardest, that’s when you need to play your best. I definitely can do it. I know I can do it. I’ve done it before. Just have to be better.”