For a rookie or veteran, Mac Jones had a fine season in 2021. While he didn’t light up the stat sheet per se, Jones had an efficient year at the helm of a 10-7 Patriots team that qualified for the AFC Wild Card Game.
Unfortunately, the buck stopped there for Jones and New England, as division rival Buffalo molly whopped the Patriots in a humiliating 47-17 blowout. Jones, in particular, struggled en route to a listless two-interception performance where he did most of his damage in the second half with the game well out of each.
These days, as the Patriots are prepping for the 2022 season, it seems Jones hasn’t forgotten about the cold sting of that defeat. As Pats Pulpit’s Brian Hines revealed — Jones keeps a somber photo of himself from the blowout playoff loss in his locker as daily motivation:
The photo in question is from Mac Jones’ locker, which appears to be from the Buffalo playoff game and have the score (47-17) written on it.
Daily motivation? https://t.co/wR4nqG4GbV pic.twitter.com/b32sUkJAZ8
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) August 12, 2022
Oh, man. Imagine keeping a reminder of the biggest failure of your early career in your close personal space to see every. single. day. That has to hit hard. Though, I suppose Jones needs the extra motivation as, per Tipico Sportsbook, the Patriots have +480 odds (just third-best!) to win the AFC East this year.
In Jones’ case: Take any little potential edge when you can.