Mac Jones

In the battle of the rookie quarterbacks, Mac Jones got the best of Zach Wilson. Well, more accurately, the New England Patriots defense did.

The Pats (1-1) beat the New York Jets (0-2) 25-6 on Sunday afternoon, intercepting Wilson four times. Wilson's inability to protect the ball was the difference, as the Patriots turned those interceptions into 17 points.

While Wilson struggled, Jones managed the game well, showing for a second straight week why Bill Belichick went with the rookie at quarterback this season over the since-released Cam Newton. 

Jones and Wilson will forever be compared and contrasted after each being selected in the first round of the NFL draft this spring. That they play in the same division will only intensify that comparison. 

Round 1 belonged to Jones.

Key Stats

Mac Jones, NE: 22-of-30 for 186 yards

J.C. Jackson, NE: Two interceptions, three tackles

Damien Harris, NE: 16 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown; one catch for two yards

Zach Wilson, NYJ: 19-of-33 for 210 yards and four interceptions

Michael Carter, NYJ: 11 carries for 59 yards; two catches for 29 yards 

C.J. Mosley, NYJ: 10 tackles

Jones Continues to Impress

Jones didn't do anything fancy Sunday. He didn't even throw a touchdown pass, and he was sacked three times. He mostly dinked and dunked the ball down the field. 

But...no turnovers. No game-changing mistakes. He didn't win this game for the Patriots, but unlike Wilson, he didn't lose it either. His highlight plays from the game might have been a block and a push:

For right now, that's probably exactly what the Patriots need. They have a very good defense. They can grind out close games. They just need Wilson to manage the game. At some point, they'll need him to make clutch throws and take shots down the field. 

But on Sunday, he did enough. 

Bill Belichick vs. Zach Wilson Wasn't a Fair Fight

Look, Belichick has made more than a few veteran stars look bad. It's important to keep that context in mind. Wilson is only starting his second game in the NFL, after all. 

The issue, though, is that some of Wilson's throws were just downright bad, regardless of what schemes and confusion Belichick might have been throwing his way. 

More context—Wilson doesn't have the best offensive line in front of him or all that many dangerous weapons. His development is going to be a process. But Sunday was not a good day, no matter how you slice it. 

What's Next?

The Patriots host the New Orleans Saints next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on Fox, while the Jets travel to face the Denver Broncos that same day at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS. 

New England Patriots rookie Mac Jones enjoyed a brief moment of levity during his NFL debut.

The television cameras caught Jones winking at Miami Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts while under center. The first-year signal-caller told reporters he made the gesture because Roberts called out what New England was going to do on the play.

"It was just kind of fun and games, but yeah," Jones said. "It was just in the middle of the play. They actually like called out our play, so I was like, 'ah. Nice catch.' You know. Anyways, it was just fun and games."

He added he didn't call an audible despite the play call being well-scouted by Roberts, who spent his first four seasons with the Patriots.

The sequence was reminiscent of a 2017 game between the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers.

Packers star Clay Matthews yelled at his teammates to watch for a wheel route, to which Cam Newton responded, "You’ve been watching film, huh? That’s cool, watch this." Newton proceeded to hit Christian McCaffrey on a short slant for a touchdown.

Maybe Jones watched that clip and took some notes.

New England Patriots rookie Mac Jones held himself accountable following a 17-16 defeat to the Miami Dolphins in his NFL debut.

"We can get better," he told reporters after the game. "It definitely wasn’t good enough, starting with me."

While his comments indicate otherwise, Jones delivered a solid performance. He finished 29-of-39 for 281 yards and one touchdown.

Few will pin the blame on Jones for the result, with James White saying he "kept us in it."

The most pivotal play of the game saw little involvement from the first-year signal-caller. The Patriots were knocking on the door late in the fourth quarter and appeared poised to get the go-ahead score when Damien Harris fumbled on a 1st-and-10 from Miami's 11-yard line.

If nothing else, Jones' showing provides a silver lining for New England.

A win would've been ideal, but at least the franchise quarterback affirmed why he was handed the starting job right out of the gate. According to Stathead, Jones threw for the most yards ever by a Patriots quarterback in a debut for the organization.

New England had a forgettable first year in the post-Tom Brady era, finishing 7-9 and missing the playoffs in 2020. Despite an 0-1 start to 2021, the Pats are shaping up to be on solid footing for the future.

The San Francisco 49ers reportedly believed the New England Patriots could have traded up to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL draft to select Mac Jones, spurring their own move for a quarterback, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

San Francisco gave up two future first-round picks and a future third to the Miami Dolphins to trade up from No. 12 to No. 3, eventually selecting quarterback Trey Lance.

New England stayed put at No. 15 and still ended up with Jones, who earned the starting job in Week 1 after the team released veteran Cam Newton.

There was plenty of speculation leading up to the draft that the Alabama product would end up in New England. According to Schefter, "The 49ers considered the well-documented relationship between Bill Belichick and Nick Saban and knew that New England was doing legwork on the quarterback prospects in the draft."

The 49ers, meanwhile, said they would be happy with a variety of quarterbacks.

"That's why we thought [No.] 3 was a good spot to go to," head coach Kyle Shanahan said in April. "After going through this whole process, I felt good about five guys at [No.] 3."

Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were long expected to be taken with the first two picks, leaving the 49ers to choose between Jones, Lance and Justin Fields at No. 3. The Chicago Bears ultimately selected Fields 11th overall.

The 49ers are rolling with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo to begin the season, though it's only a matter of time before Shanahan and Co. turn the offense over to the North Dakota State signal-caller.  

Cam Newton said he was "absolutely" caught off guard by the New England Patriots' decision to release him during final roster cuts in order to move forward with rookie Mac Jones as their starting quarterback.

Newton said on his YouTube show Funky Friday that he's not sure when the tide began to turn in favor of Jones, but he doesn't think his five-day absence following a COVID-19 protocol misunderstanding was the main factor in the Pats' decision.

"Do I think this would have happened without me being away from the team for five days? Honestly, yes," he said. "It was going to happen. Did it help ease the decision? Yes."

Newton struggled as the Patriots' starter in 2020, throwing eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions across 14 games, but the team still re-signed him on a one-year contract in March.

New England proceeded to take Jones with the 15th pick in the 2021 NFL draft in April, and the University of Alabama product forced the coaching staff's hand with strong performances throughout training camp and the preseason.

Jones completed 69.2 percent of his throws (36 of 52) for 388 yards with one touchdown and no picks across the Pats' three exhibition contests.

Newton noted that while he continued to spend time with the first-team offense, he can see in retrospect how the Patriots were preparing the rookie to take over.

"I was probably getting two reps to his 10 reps, and that's why it was starting to make sense," he said. "Even though I was starting, that doesn't necessarily mean nothing. And that's where they did a good job of disguising it."

The 2015 NFL MVP added he would have been willing to stay with New England as Jones' backup, but he doesn't think the staff wanted his presence on the roster.

"The reason they released me is because, indirectly, I was going to be a distraction without being the starter," Newton said. "Just my aura. That's my gift and my curse."

Newton remains a free agent but said there are "not 32 guys out there that's better than me" and confirmed he has no plans to retire.

New England head coach Bill Belichick thanked the 32-year-old Georgia native for his efforts Tuesday on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show (via Hayden Bird of the Boston Globe).

"I have nothing but positive thoughts and feelings for Cam," Belichick said. "He came in here, he worked hard. He gave us everything he had. Right now, our future is going to be Mac at quarterback, and that is where we're going to go."

Jones and the Patriots kick off the regular season Sunday when they host the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium.