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Mac Jones defended Matt Patricia, Patriots’ offense after win vs. Cardinals
Jones was also asked about his in-game emotions.
The Patriots rallied to defeat the Cardinals 27-13 on Monday Night Football, upping the team’s record to 7-6 and moving into a playoff spot (for the moment). New England will face the Raiders at 4:05 p.m. Sunday.
The Celtics lost to the Clippers on Monday, 113-93. Boston will face the Lakers tonight in Los Angeles at 10 p.m.
Also tonight, the Bruins are back in action, facing the Islanders at TD Garden at 7 p.m.
Mac Jones shared his thoughts on the Patriots’ offense: Though the Patriots emerged from Monday night with a much needed win, it was not a great night for Mac Jones and New England’s inconsistent offense.
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Jones looked disgruntled at times on the field, angrily swearing and waving off apparent sideline signals. The Patriots were just 3-for-11 on third downs, and struggled to string drives together despite facing a Cardinals defense that ranks near the bottom of the league in points allowed and touchdown passes allowed.
After the game, Jones was asked if he is frustrated with the offense being called by Patriots assistant Matt Patricia.
“No,” Jones replied. “The biggest thing is not letting it affect my play and bringing the best out of my guys. Today, I thought we all did a good job trying to play the next play, play the next series and [Patricia] did a great job. He’s trying to call the game so that we can win.”
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Jones seemed to point at the number of screen passes called (12), which — as ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss noted — was second in the NFL in the 2022 season only to Jalen Hurts of the Eagles, who threw 14 against the Cardinals earlier in the season.
“Sometimes, it might be this thing that people don’t know about, like the quick passes for whatever reason and that’s our game plan,” Jones added. “We knew what we had to do to win, and he called a great game and stayed calm. He’s a calm person, very stoic. We’re just going to continue to grow together and do what we can to win games.”
Jones and Patricia ended the night on a high note, not only with the win, but even taking a moment to celebrate together on the sidelines.
Asked about his in-game emotions, Jones told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that he’s trying to inspire his teammates.
“At the end of the day, this is an emotional game,” Jones told Salters. “And I think everybody feeds off emotion. I think at times, we’re too flat, and that’s what I try to do: motivate my guys. They responded really well — the defense, everybody. So, shoutout to everybody on our team for responding, and we’ve got to get to work.”
Trivia: Touchdowns from running backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong Jr. on Monday represented the first time two Patriots rookies have scored in the same game since 2006, per ESPN Stats & Info. Can you name those two Patriots rookies who scored in the same game in 2006?
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(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: One was a running back from the University of Minnesota. The other was a tight end from Texas.
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- ESPN pregame show questions Bill Belichick, and sheds more light on Matt Patricia-Mac Jones relationship
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Dont’a Hightower’s reaction to Marcus Jones:
A Peyton Manning anecdote about Bill Belichick:
On this day: In 1996, Roger Clemens left the Red Sox in free agency and signed with the Blue Jays. It was seen as a surprising, disappointing move to Boston fans, given that Clemens had said he would not leave for another American League team.
Yet Clemens became disillusioned with Boston leadership, especially (in his own words) Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette.
“I know from my heart that [Duquette] didn’t really want me back,” Clemens said afterward.
Having gone just 40-39 with a 3.77 ERA in his final four years in Boston, the 34-year-old Clemens didn’t seem worth a major deal in Duquette’s view. Yet after signing with the Blue Jays, Clemens regained some of his old form.
Over the next two seasons, Clemens went 41-13 with a 2.33 ERA, averaging 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. More impressively, he won the Cy Young Award in both of those years before being traded to another American League East team that would create even more of a stir with Red Sox fans: the Yankees.
Daily highlight: There might not be an overly impressive individual highlight in this Marcus Jones interception, but the all-around team effort (combining a good pass rush with quality coverage) added up to create an important turnover.
Trivia answer: Laurence Maroney, David Thomas
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