As the New England Patriots took on the Philadelphia Eagles in the first of two joint practices on Monday, both Cam Newton and Mac Jones were able to get some work in. It was a rough day for both quarterbacks, as the Eagles defense made things difficult.
Both Newton and Jones struggled on the day. Jones was slightly better, though he faced the backup defense. Perhaps the best play today was a touchdown from N’Keal Harry courtesy of Jones at the end of the workout session. That ended practice on a positive note for New England, as the Patriots get ready to face the Eagles on Thursday.
Here are some observations from several writers who were present at the practice.
Cam Newton was 13 of 21 with an interception in the first joint practice with the Eagles. He took all first-team reps against the starting defense.
Mac Jones was very sharp and 17 of 25 but largely worked against the backup defense.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 16, 2021
Neither Patriot quarterback was impressive for long stretches vs. Eagles. Couple plays here and there but mostly C- Cam Newton got more of the work and was with the 1s. He threw a hellacious pick in 11 on 11 at back of the end zone from about the 5. Jones scuffled plenty as well
— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) August 16, 2021
#Patriots–#Eagles joint practices Day 1:
– The Eagles were better on both sides of the ball. Period.
– Newton 13/21 INT, Jones 17/25. Both struggled.
– Newton keeps holding the ball too long, had 3 other passes batted. Jones should've had 2 INTs.
– Good days for Agholor, Bentley.— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 16, 2021
Practice ends with Mac Jones finding N’Keal Harry for a TD on a nice throw and catch down the left sideline. But overall, seemed like a challenging day for Jones, Cam Newton and the overall passing game. Newton’s end-zone INT ended arguably his best stretch of work.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 16, 2021
The quarterbacks will have another chance to clean things up on Tuesday, as they take part in a final practice against Philadelphia.
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