Sean McDermott praises Mac Jones as he discusses the ‘challenge’ ahead with Patriots

“Josh McDaniels seems like he’s up to his old ways of developing another young quarterback at an elite level.”

Arguably the two best teams in the AFC will square off on Monday night in Week 13.

The New England Patriots will hit the road to face the Buffalo Bills in what will likely Bill Belichick’s toughest game of the season thus far. The Patriots (8-4) have the No. 1 scoring defense and the Bills (7-4) have the No. 2 scoring this defense — while both teams in the Top 10 with points per game.

This matchup has huge playoff implications and the winner will hold much more confidence when the teams meet again in Week 16.

A huge part of the Patriots’ success is the poise of Mac Jones, who’s having a potential Rookie of the Year season. Bills head coach Sean McDermott acknowledged this while speaking about the matchup with reporters on Tuesday.

“Talented young quarterback,” he said, transcribed by WEEI. “As I mentioned earlier, Josh McDaniels seems like he’s up to his old ways of developing another young quarterback at an elite level. I think Mac is off to a phenomenal start. He’s as good as advertised. There’s a lot of talk out there about him and does a great job executing their offense. It will be a big challenge for us.”

As McDermott discussed how well-coached the Patriots are, he couldn’t help but get back to Jones’ growth with the team.

“They are playing really high level football,” he said. “Again, well-coached. They execute well. They are not beating themselves. Play good complementary football. Their offense is, I think Mac Jones is off to a great start, as I said, and they are very physical with what they do.”

The Bills have a pretty good and young quarterback on their side also with Josh Allen. This game will undoubtedly carry a playoff atmosphere, especially with the prime time slot on Monday night.

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