Tag: Mac Jones

12 key contributors could be in final days with Patriots

These 12 players could be playing football elsewhere in 2024

The last week of the regular season means some New England Patriots players could be in their final days with the team.

Many are pending free agents that aren’t likely to be brought back, while others could be let go for other reasons. The Patriots have players on both ends of the spectrum.

They won’t be able to re-sign everyone, even with the lucrative salary cap expectations for the team in 2024. There’s also the possibility of the team hiring a new regime altogether, if they ultimately make the decision to fire coach Bill Belichick.

Serious changes could be on the horizon for the Patriots, and here are 12 players that could be caught up in it at the end of the season:

Bo Nix officially sets NCAA record for single-season completion percentage

Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix has officially broken the record for single-season completion percentage.

It wasn’t the main goal going into the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl for Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks, but a record was certainly a potential bonus when the veteran quarterback decided to play one last game in an Oregon uniform.

Bo Nix has officially broken the record for single-season completion percentage, breaking the mark set by Alabama Crimson Tide QB Mac Jones in 2020. Jones set the record at 77.36%.

In the Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames, Nix completed 28-of-35 passes for 363 yards and 5 touchdowns. This brought him up to 364-for-470 on the season, a completion percentage of 77.45%.

Coming into the game, Nix was at 77.2%, right behind Jones.

The record looked in doubt early. Nix completed 4 of his first 7 passes, and 7 of his first 11, thanks to some uncharacteristic drops from the receivers. In the second quarter, Nix turned it around and ultimately broke the record.

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Bills’ Micah Hyde makes decision on Rasul Douglas: ‘We won the trade’

#Bills’ Micah Hyde makes decision on Rasul Douglas: ‘We won the trade’

The Bills defeated a chippy Patriots team 27-21 in Orchard Park on Sunday, extending their win streak to four straight contests.

Buffalo will head into next week’s regular-season finale against the Dolphins in Miami for the AFC Championship.

Sunday’s win could be the final AFC East meeting between defensive head coaches Sean McDermott and Bill Belichick, whose future with the Patriots organization is unclear.

And it was McDermott’s defense, for whom he is the primary play-caller, that shone, holding New England to only 294 total yards.

Buffalo caused four Patriots turnovers, including a pick-six by trade deadline acquisition CB Rasul Douglas.

Douglas tipped a pass by Patriots QB Bailey Zappe earlier in the game, which was then caught by teammate DT Ed Oliver for his first career interception, thanks to some single-handed acrobatics, before the cornerback reeled in two picks of his own.

All in the first half.

“That should have been another pick by me,” Douglas mused during his postgame media availability. “I should have had 3, honestly, cause I knew it was coming. I read it, but I was on the right side of the tight end and he kind of threw it to the left. So, I had to go around him and deflect it up and then I seen Ed diving for it, I was just happy that he caught it.”

Douglas has been a huge addition defensively in general, not to mention in the wake of another season-ending injury to CB Tre White.

“I don’t know what we gave up to get him… but we won the trade,” S Micah Hyde said about the Bills’ corner, per ABC 13 WHAM. 

Hyde’s comments were backed by their head coach, who noted the team’s resilience.

“They’ve been very resilient. And just the things that they’ve learned, I think, through the journey that have gotten us to here and then using them week to week to find a way to win games,” McDermott said to the press. “Today we knew wasn’t going to be easy and I thought that their resilient nature was on display in the second half.”

New England’s defense was still stingy despite their offense’s shortcomings, but it was Buffalo’s defensive group that won the day. The offense will look to bounce back and the team will aim to keep rolling into the win column next week in Miami.

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Bills’ Josh Allen on rocky Pats game: ‘One of the longest quarters I’ve ever been part of’

#Bills’ Josh Allen on rocky Pats game: ‘One of the longest quarters I’ve ever been part of’

The Bills beat the Patriots at home 27-21 on Sunday, as the team continues to win games, even when the win is an ugly one.

And it’s paid off.

The Bills’ overall offensive performance wasn’t the smoothest, however, as both OC Joe Brady and QB Josh Allen and his receiving targets, who struggled with completions and capitalizing on several Pats turnovers, expressed visible frustration at times.

Allen finished the day with two rushing TDs and 213 total yards of offense, though he struggled a bit in the passing game putting up only 45 total yards with an interception near the end of the first half.

“That was one of the longest quarters I’ve ever been a part of,” Allen said during his press conference. “Three possessions down there in the first quarter and we only scored one touchdown. That’s not good enough on our end. We got to be better prepared to go and get six and seven there. We lucked out. Our defense played a heck of a game and we got to just try to find a way to win.”

He quickly surpassed that first-half number on the first drive of the second half hitting  TE Dalton Kincaid for a 51-yard reception, a career-long for the Bills first-year tight end.

In the contest, Kincaid finished with 87 yards and set a new franchise record for receptions by a rookie with 62 catches on the season.

“We’re playing a pretty good team so just glad we came out with the win,” Kincaid said to the media.

“Each game’s been you know the most important game and now that this game passed you know next week’s the most important game for us, so looking forward to that.”

The Bills offense was a little bit of history repeating in some ways, as Kincaid led the way in receiving yards and Allen scored multiple TDs in their last meetup too.

What has been different about these past couple of matchups with New England has been the usage of WR1 Stefon Diggs, who was quiet these several games, even not taking any offensive snaps on Buffalo’s opening scoring drive at the start of the 2nd half.

Before this season, he had been the leading receiver in several matchups against New England, and while he had a TD in their last meeting and a shot at deep ball on Sunday night, his role has been different,

Diggs often commands double teams, and the coverage he and WR2 Gabe Davis require of opposing defenses creates openings for other targets like Kincaid, WR Khalil Shakir, and receiving RB James Cook.

In the quest for the Buffalo offense to become more multi-dimensional under new offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the captain has sacrificed to help his team win.

And win they have.

The Bills were at 6-6 and on the outside looking in at the playoffs, and have since rattled off four victories and a shot at their fourth straight AFC East crown in next week’s season finale against the Dolphins in Miami.

“I obviously would love to have a home game in the playoffs,” Allen added. “Would love to get in the playoffs, so that’s first and foremost. [We’re] just doing whatever we can do to give ourselves a chance of getting in.”

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The Morning After…Patriots back in control of draft destiny

The Patriots put up a valiant fight against the Bills and climbed the 2024 NFL draft board. Some would consider that a win.

Before the ball dropped on New Year’s Day, the New England Patriots were leaving it all on the field at Orchard Park in a hard-fought battle with the red-hot Buffalo Bills.

They didn’t come away with the victory on paper, but it’s hard to walk away from that game feeling like the Patriots lost. After being pegged as double-digit underdogs, the Patriots came within less than a touchdown of the Bills in a 27-21 loss at Highmark Stadium.

They also climbed back up the 2024 NFL draft board to No. 3 overall, which puts them within reaching distance of Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye or possibly even Caleb Williams at quarterback.

Granted, it might have still felt like a loss for the players, but for the Patriots organization overall, Sunday’s game was an absolute win.

Here are some leftover notes from the Week 17 matchup:

Mac Jones reacts on sideline after multiple Bailey Zappe interceptions

A camera caught Mac Jones’ reaction on the sidelines after multiple interceptions by Bailey Zappe.

So far, it has been a New Year’s Eve disaster for the New England Patriots, and all Mac Jones could do on the sideline was shake his head.

Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe has thrown three interceptions in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. It has been his worst performance as a starter this season, after initially going 2-2 with wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos.

Jones was benched for Zappe late in the season due to his struggles protecting the football. However, he was the one on the sidelines watching Zappe play hot potato with the ball against the Patriots’ AFC East division rivals.

The score could be worse for the Patriots, but they have somehow managed to keep it close, even after a disastrous first half. As usual, the defense is putting up a fight, despite constantly being put in compromising field position.

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How many completions does Bo Nix need to break Mac Jones’ all-time record?

Oregon QB Bo Nix is a few completions away from making history in the Fiesta Bowl.

When you talk about college football at a baseline level, the only stats that matter are wins and losses. We can all agree on that.

However, if you are like me, and you enjoy the numbers below the surface, and the records that are held by different teams and players throughout history, then this article is for you.

The upcoming Fiesta Bowl between the Oregon Ducks and Liberty Flames could be an incredibly important game. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has a chance to etch his name in college football history.

One of Nix’s best attributes during his time in Eugene has been his accuracy, and knowing when to force it or not. This is reflected in his completion percentage, which was the best in the nation in 2023, and among the best in the nation in 2022.

With five games in 2023 completing more than 80% of his passes, and nine games completing more than 75% of his passes, Nix was clearly in line to break the record for all-time single-season completion percentage, set by Alabama’s Mac Jones back in 2020. However, an outing in the Pac-12 title game where he completed only 61.8% of his passes dropped Nix out of the lead.

With one more game, though, the Oregon QB still has a chance to get back to the top spot and cement his place in college football history. While he certainly isn’t as concerned with the number as we are, it is interesting to note what needs to happen for him to get the record.

Let’s break down the math:

Patriots OC Bill O’Brien likes Mac Jones’ mindset in difficult season

How is Mac Jones taking the role as a backup QB? Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien commented on the situation.

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien praised quarterback Mac Jones for his attitude after taking a backseat to Bailey Zappe.

Zappe has started in the last four games for the Patriots and has gone 2-2 while under center. He is coming off a 26-23 victory over the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve, when he threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns.

Jones was once heralded as the future for New England. The 2021 first-round draft pick has seen his stock take quite the hit. He has been benched in multiple games this season and has not played since November 26 against the New York Giants.

Even still, O’Brien believes Jones is taking it well, as transcribed by WEEI’s Mike Kadlick.

“I feel good about Mac Jones,” said O’Brien. “I really do. I think Mac Jones is a smart guy. He’s a very hard worker. He’s really done a good job in this situation here of being a good teammate. Look, these are things that happen in the course of a lot of careers. You have some ups and downs. He’s approached it the right way. I believe in Mac. I think Mac is going to be just fine.”

It has been quite the role reversal for Jones and Zappe, who is now being given the chance to prove himself.  The second-year quarterback hasn’t wasted the opportunity. If anything, he’s making it significantly harder to consider ever going back to Jones.

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Patriots OC Bill O’Brien addresses possibility of Mac Jones return

Could Mac Jones get another shot at QB before the season ends? Bill O’Brien comments on the possibility.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has had a difficult season. He hasn’t take a snap under center since the Week 12 loss to the New York Giants.

Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien addressed Jones’ chances of getting another opportunity to play this season in a media session on Tuesday.

“I think everybody’s gotta be ready to play. Especially in the situation that we’re in. I really do,” said O’Brien, via NESN’s Dakota Randall. “I think that everybody has to be ready to go. Anybody that’s on the 53-man roster really has to go out on the practice field and practice well and earn a shot to play. … So, and I know that you’ve heard that from Bill — but that’s the truth. Like, you have to be ready to go. Because if you practice really well, you’re gonna have a real shot to play. So, I think that goes for every position.”

Jones went from being benched multiple times throughout the course of the season to finally relinquishing the starting quarterback job to Bailey Zappe.

He has recorded 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on the year. He recorded 89 passing yards, two interceptions and finished with a 27.8 quarterback rating in his final outing against the Giants.

Zappe has started the last two games for New England. He recorded a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, before coming back to Earth in Sunday’s 27-17 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jones could potentially have a chance at redemption with three weeks left in the season. As of now, however, it looks like it’s Zappe’s job to lose.

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Bailey Zappe reportedly knew he’d eventually take Mac Jones’ job as Patriots QB

Bailey Zappe had zero respect for Mac Jones’ game.

Anyone who saw Mac Jones play quarterback for the New England Patriots in 2022 probably knew his days as the starter were numbered. You can apparently count Jones’ former backup-turned-starter Bailey Zappe in that notable group.

According to a report from Kaylee Hartung of Thursday Night Football, Zappe never lost confidence in his aptitude with the Patriots. Even after being cut by New England this summer and moved to the practice squad, he was confident he’d eventually start games for Bill Belichick and Co. That or Zappe knew Jones brought nothing remarkable to the table and was simply biding his time.

Either way, this is a wild thing to reveal about a teammate before making your second start of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Hat tip to Nicole Menner of NBC10 WJAR.)

There’s something to be said about an athlete maintaining the utmost confidence in their ability, regardless of their current circumstances. That’s not necessarily groundbreaking. But that sentiment there sure reads like Zappe understood Jones didn’t have the capacity to play at this level of football for much longer. Because he saw him up close aplenty last season, and that sample size told him everything. And it’s kind of jarring to even read after watching Zappe throw three touchdowns in the first half against the Steelers alone.

Who knew a battle of two glorified backup quarterbacks could be so dramatic?