ESPN analyst explains how Patriots can become ‘legitimate contenders’
Mac Jones can throw the ball.
His reputation around the league with the New England Patriots thus far is that he can only throw short to mid-level passes. The rookie is still learning the Patriots’ complex playbook and he’s much more than a game manager.
Over the past few weeks, Jones has proven that he’s capable. He had a deep ball to Kendrick Bourne that was perfectly placed against the New York Jets and he also a 44-yard strike to Nelson Agholor against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jones threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions with a 77.4 completion percentage last year with the Alabama Crimson Tide — in a year that he played all SEC opponents. He’s capable, but his time just hasn’t came yet.
ESPN’s Domonique Foxworth had the same sentiment while discussing the Patriots on “Get Up” on Wednesday.
“I’ve been rooting for them to kind of take the reins off of Mac Jones and they’ve done it a little bit more,” Foxworth said, as transcribed by Boston.com. “But I think if we were going to consider them legitimate contenders, they’re going to have to let him throw the ball a lot more than they have up until this point, and take more aggressive shots down the field.”
The Patriots are 4-4 and coming off their most impressive win of the season, beating the Los Angeles Chargers 27-24 on the road. The week before, Jones had his first 300-yard game and the Patriots blew out the New York Jets, 54-13.
New England is heating up at the right time and as Foxworth mentioned, the AFC is currently a mess right now.
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