Mac Jones’ first start with Jaguars ends in disaster with 3 turnovers
"He’s taking it hard. I just told him it’s not about one guy."
For the first time since Nov. 26, 2023, Mac Jones opened a game as QB1, with the former Patriots first-round pick given the starting nod for the Jaguars following a shoulder injury to Trevor Lawrence.
It didn’t go well for the Jags’ new signal caller. Even with a lackluster performance from Vikings QB Sam Darnold (three interceptions), Jones and Jacksonville let a promising win slip through their grasp after a complete implosion in the fourth quarter.
Jones was knocked for three straight turnovers on the Jaguars’ final three possessions of the game — with Jacksonville losing to Minnesota, 12-7.
“He’s hurting,” Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson said of Jones, per AL.com. “He’s taking it hard. I just told him it’s not about one guy. This is a team deal, and offensively we didn’t do enough around Mac. It takes 11 guys.”
The ex-New England QB did have a promising start against the Vikings, orchestrating a nine-play, 70-yard drive on the Jags’ second possession of the game that ended with Jones scoring on a one-yard rush.
But things went downhill in crunch time. After the Vikings took a 9-7 lead off of a field goal, Jones fumbled a ball on Jacksonville’s own 27-yard line — giving Minnesota all it needed to further pad its lead with another kick.
Jones threw another pair of interceptions over Jacksonville’s final two drives of the evening to close out a tough loss for the Jags at EverBank Stadium.
“No excuses,” Jones said after the loss. “Just go through my reads and live to fight another down, especially in those situations on first down, so nothing that anybody else did. It’s on me. The defense got us the ball back, and as a quarterback, you got to just put the ball in play and let the guys make plays.”
Jones finished the game completing 14-of-22 passes for 111 yards with those two picks, a rushing TD, and a lost fumble.
With Lawrence reportedly dealing with an AC joint sprain that could put his availability in doubt for the remainder of the season, Jones might be in line for even more starts moving forward for a 2-8 Jags team.
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