Despite throwing for 316 yards, three touchdowns and completing nearly 65% of his passes, Patriots QB Mac Jones was highly critical of himself following New England's 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
"I felt like in the most critical times, I played my worst. I felt like I let the defense down," Jones said in a postgame news conference.
The Patriots had the ball twice late in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead, but the offense failed to convert on critical fourth downs.
The first time came on 4th-and-18 with 2:17 left. Jones threw near the first-down marker to tight end Hunter Henry, who dropped the ball.
The second time came with 27 seconds left, when Jones threw a perfect ball to rookie receiver Kayshon Boutte on the sideline. Boutte could not get his feet down to move the sticks, however.
That is not a catch by Boutte. 2nd time today. pic.twitter.com/bmDe0jCUYn
— Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL) September 10, 2023
Although Jones did his job on those key plays, his performance on early downs during crunch time may be the reason for his self-critique.
Three plays before Boutte's failed toe tap, Jones had Boutte open in the end zone but threw an inaccurate ball that sailed out of bounds. The next play, Jones took a drive-altering sack that put New England in a bad spot on third down.
The rook came up big on his first career sack@breadmanjalen | #FlyEaglesFly
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 11, 2023
: #MINvsPHI on 9/14 on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/qbuIppbOC5
Pro Bowl LB Matt Judon defended his teammate.
“Mac went out there and played his butt off. Every opportunity that he had he made them count," Judon said.
In Week 2 on "Sunday Night Football," the Patriots host the Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa, who torched the Chargers for 466 yards passing in a win Sunday.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!