Jones did not protect the ball in the fourth quarter
Mac Jones made the first start of his post-New England Patriots era on Sunday to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Minnesota Vikings.
The fourth-year quarterback had some fun early Sunday when he spiked the ball and yelled after a rushing touchdown that gave the Jaguars a halftime lead. That’s where the fun ended for Jones.
Jones had a tendency to turn the ball over throughout his struggles with the Patriots, which continued in brutal fashion in Sunday’s game. The Jaguars trailed 12-7 throughout the fourth quarter and needed just a single productive touchdown drive to take the lead and chase their first win since they beat the Patriots in London.
Instead, Jones turned the ball over again, and again … and again. The Jaguars quarterback fumbled a snap and tossed away a pair of interceptions, all of which came in the final six minutes of the contest, and doomed Jacksonville in the loss. Jacksonville fell to 2-8 on the season.
The Jaguars will only see more of Jones in the coming weeks with starter Trevor Lawrence potentially facing a season-ending injury.