This Mac Jones-Tom Brady Stat Will Make Patriots Fans Sick

Sunday’s home game against the Saints started off just about as badly as the Patriots and their fans could have imagined.

A Mac Jones first-quarter interception returned for a touchdown by Tyrann Mathieu marked the first score in the Week 5 contest at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots quarterback picked up where he left off, as two Jones turnovers in Dallas last weekend resulted in Cowboys touchdowns.

This isn’t a new issue for Jones either. As ESPN Stats & Info pointed out, Mathieu’s snag-and-score signaled the fourth pick-six thrown by the third-year signal-caller on his home turf. To put that number into perspective, Tom Brady accounted for the exact same amount across his two-decade (!) tenure in Foxboro, Mass.

Bill Belichick and company sent Jones back on the field for the Patriots’ ensuing possession after the Saints’ defensive touchdown, but the leash on the 25-year-old might be getting shorter. Backup QB Bailey Zappe, who replaced Jones for the final quarter-plus at AT&T Stadium last weekend, reportedly saw an increase in practice reps in the lead-up to the New Orleans game.

New England fans clearly are sick and tired of Jones’ ongoing struggles, and time will tell how much more the Patriots coaches will be able to tolerate.