Patriots QB Mac Jones reflects on disappointing season

Jones ends the year looking nothing like where he was in January 2022, when he earned Pro Bowl honors and was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up.

After starting all 17 contests during his first season and then missing three games in 2022 only due to an ankle injury, the 25-year-old had an inconsistent (at best) 11-game stint as QB1 in 2023.

Jones started the year off well, nearly leading the Patriots to a Week 1 upset of Philadelphia by completing a career-high 35 passes and racking up over 300 passing yards (316) for the fifth time in his career and tossing three touchdown passes for just the fourth time. Jones hit a brutal stretch from Weeks 4-6, however, posting passer ratings of 39.9, 30.5 and 75.3 as New England scored just 20 points across the three games combined and went 0-3.

He bounced back by leading the team to a Week 7 upset of the Buffalo Bills, but again went into a slump, which culminated in a late-game benching in Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts. After the Patriots bye week, Jones was benched mid-contest for the consecutive game in Week 12 against the New York Giants.

The 2021 first-round pick went 12-for-21 for 89 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 27.8 passer rating (second worst of his career) during the loss to the Giants before being relieved by Bailey Zappe. The understudy started the final six games of the season and Jones' final snaps came during the Week 12 defeat.