How Patriots’ Mac Jones Addressed DeVante Parker’s Brutal Drop

Mac Jones delivered one of the best throws of his young NFL career when the Patriots needed it most Sunday afternoon.

Unfortunately for New England’s starting quarterback, his target let the golden opportunity go by the wayside.

With the Patriots trailing the Raiders by two late in the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium, Jones uncorked a beautifully thrown ball down the left sideline that reached Parker in stride near midfield. The veteran wide receiver got both of his hands on the football but couldn’t corral it and New England suffered a game-sealing safety two plays later. Had Parker made the catch, the visitors would have had nearly two minutes to gain 15-plus yards to set up a potential game-winning field goal attempt.

Jones spoke about Parker’s costly miscue one day after the Patriots dropped to 1-5 on the season.

“Yeah, DP’s done a great job,” Jones said Monday on WEEI’s “Jones & Mego,” as transcribed by Boston.com. “He’s a very good deep threat, in-cut runner and all those things. So he did a lot of really good things and I have all the faith in him in the world. So it’s just one little game.

“At the end of the day, we’re gonna keep working, get the timing down and all that stuff. So you can’t put it on one person or one play. At the end of the day, it’s all of us together. And we’re going to stick together, because that’s what good teams do.”

Editor’s Picks

Does Matthew Slater Regret Returning To Patriots? Legend Opens Up

by Adam London 2 Min Read

Eight Players Patriots Could Sell Ahead Of NFL Trade Deadline

by Zack Cox 5 Min Read

Did Jakobi Meyers Take Subtle Jab At Patriots After Raiders Win?

by Tim Crowley 1 Min Read

Parker’s blunder was bad enough, but the way he handled the crunch-time mistake made the situation even worse. The 30-year-old failed to take accountability after the game, which is not something you want to see from any player, let alone one who’s been in the league for almost a decade and is supposed to be one of your most important components on offense.

But that’s the theme of the 2023 Patriots, isn’t it? Any time you think the state of affairs in New England can’t get any worse, Bill Belichick’s team manages to dig its hole even deeper.