FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is turning the page to Sunday’s game against the visiting Indianapolis Colts, as he returns to play at Gillette Stadium for the first time since home fans were chanting for backup Bailey Zappe to replace him in Week 7.
Calling it tough love from the paying customers might be too kind, but one thing has become clear in recent days within the team’s locker room: While a vocal segment of fans might prefer Zappe, coaches and players are united in rallying behind Jones.
That much was clear in the aftermath of Sunday’s 22-17 win over the New York Jets when Belichick sought out Jones for an embrace, then the two did something similar in the tunnel before boarding the buses to depart MetLife Stadium.
“I thought Mac did a nice job,” Belichick said Monday after having a chance to review the game in which Jones finished 24 of 35 for 194 yards, with 1 TD and 1 INT, while adding four rushes for 25 yards (not including kneel-downs).
“We had pressure on quite a few pass plays, more than we would like, for sure. I thought he made good decisions and had to pull the ball down a couple times and make some key runs for us. … I thought he gave us a lot of good plays.”
Sunday was an important, yet imperfect, day for Jones to start building momentum after a rocky start to the season, followed by a three-game absence after suffering a high left ankle sprain, then a three-series cameo last Monday night in which fans called for Zappe.
Belichick cited Jones’ toughness Sunday and added: “He managed our team well. That’s what a quarterback’s job is to do -- to help the team win. That’s what he did.”
Jones lived on the edge at times with a few questionable throws and was running for his life at other times due to shaky protection against an impressive Jets defensive front. He acknowledged there were times he could have thrown the ball sooner to avoid a sack (he was dropped six times).
The Patriots managed just one touchdown, to pair with five Nick Folk field goals, with Jones saying: “We did enough to put points up, but we want to do better. And we will.”
Jones’ remarks highlight what appears to be a concerted effort to wipe the slate clean from his challenging start to the season when frustrations sometimes bubbled to the surface.
“There’s obviously things you can control, and for me, it’s just my attitude and effort, being a good teammate and showing up and trying to lead the guys,” he said.
Teammates see it too.
“He looked ready to go, man. Obviously, you know what happened last week [33-14 loss to the Chicago Bears],” receiver Kendrick Bourne said.
Jones said Sunday that members of the offense “did extra things to come together as a team” leading into the game, which he believes must continue to happen in order to produce better results.
“I thought the process is there. I’m just super happy to be a part of this and want to continue to grow here,” he said.
Receiver Jakobi Meyers said last week that hearing home fans cheering for Zappe was “tough as a man to see somebody who worked so hard get that kind of treatment.” He once again had Jones’ back on Sunday
Now, an improved performance Sunday against lockdown cornerback Stephon Gilmore and the 3-4-1 Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS), before heading into the Nov. 13 bye, is the goal.
“I wouldn’t say just Mac. It wasn’t just him out there trying to fit pieces of the puzzle together,” Meyers said. “We all kind of had to come together, block better, run routes better, get open better for him, protect him. It doesn’t all fall on him.”