New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was hard on himself following the team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
He mainly pinpointed the first drive as a key point early on.
“I really didn’t throw any good passes on the first drive,” said Jones, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “So, a slow start, and it starts with me. I’ve just got to watch the tape and clean it up. But I definitely feel like we fought hard.
“The rookies played really well. The offensive line played really well. The skill players played really well. I definitely let the team down tonight. We couldn’t score early, and we just fell behind because of me. I just put it on myself.”
After throwing a pick-six that initially blew up the game early, Jones did manage to settle down nicely.
He finished the day going 35-of-54 throwing for 316 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. New England dug themselves a 16-0 hole before climbing back out of it.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick reacted to the comments from his quarterback following the game, as noted by Cox. The coach responded to them in a rather diplomatic fashion.
“Well, look, I think everybody did a lot of good things in the game,” Belichick said. “And I’m sure everybody feels the same way that Mac does — that if we had all done one or two things a little bit better, it could’ve made a difference. So, I’m sure everybody feels the same way that Mac does, every player and coach that participated in the game.”
Despite the loss, there were positives to be had in the game. New England went toe-to-toe with the defending NFC champions and could have extended the game if wide receiver Kayshon Boutte kept two feet inbounds on the final play of a potential touchdown drive.
They won’t have much time for moral victories or feeling down on themselves about the season-opening loss with a tough divisional meeting with an explosive Miami Dolphins team set for Week 2.
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