Mac Jones haters were given plenty of ammo this season, but they can’t say the Patriots quarterback is a bad teammate.
Jones played good soldier across his hellacious 11 weeks as New England’s starting quarterback and by all accounts, he’s taken his relegation to backup in stride. The 2021 first-round pick has appeared to look engaged and supportive of his Patriots teammates since Bailey Zappe took over in Week 13, and that was definitely the case Sunday afternoon in Buffalo.
After Zappe threw three first-half interceptions, Jones watched his fellow signal-caller cut the Bills’ lead to one score midway through the second quarter when the sophomore ran 17 yards to paydirt. And as could be seen on the CBS broadcast, Jones ran all the way down the sideline to be one of the first Patriots to celebrate Zappe’s touchdown.
Sunday very well could be Jones and Zappe’s penultimate game together as teammates. A separation between the Patriots and the Alabama product after the season probably would be in the best interest of both sides, and New England might also decide it’s done with the Zappe experiment this spring.
Of course, the Patriots’ future behind center could hinge on the franchise’s 2024 first-round draft position. If the season ended Saturday night, New England would own the No. 3 overall pick.
