Brock Purdy is playing at an MVP level this season. Would Mac Jones, who might be on the verge of losing his job with the Patriots, be doing the same thing if he were with the 49ers?
That would be a difficult case to make. But Dan Orlovsky tried to make it during Monday morning’s episode of “Get Up!” on ESPN.
“If Mac Jones was in San Francisco, he’d be playing like Brock Burdy,” Orlovsky said the morning after Jones committed three turnovers and got benched for the second week in a row.
The remarks blew away longtime Jones hater Rex Ryan, who buried his head in his hands and said, “Oh, God, no.” A dead-serious Orlovsky then replied, “Yes, dude.”
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Take a look:
You absolutely can argue that Jones is better than he’s looked over the last season-plus. The Patriots haven’t put him in a position to succeed, with Bill Belichick pulling every how-to-ruin-your-young-quarterback lever that he can find.
And, based on talent alone, there probably isn’t much of a gap between Jones, who was the 15th overall pick 2021, and Purdy, who was picked last in 2022. In fact, Jones probably has more ability.
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But the reality is that, in his first five games this season, Jones completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,008 yards and five touchdowns to go along with a league-leading six interceptions. He also lost two fumbles.
Purdy, on the other hand, completed 72.1 percent of his passes for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with zero picks. Right now, he’s the better player.
Moreover, Purdy is coming off a 42-10 win over the Cowboys that moved his team to 5-0. Jones lost 34-0 at home to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday a week after getting blown out in Dallas. New England is 1-4, and he’s been part of the problem.
Orlovsky’s pro-Jones argument can be made, but this isn’t the week to do it. And Ryan definitely isn’t the audience for it.
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Featured image via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
