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Quarterback Mac Jones and the New England Patriots may have lost their season opener on Sunday, but they were still able to impress several around the league, including their opponent.
Philadelphia Eagles five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, who has been critical of Jones in the past, gave him props for his Week 1 performance.
Buy Patriots Tickets“I gotta give a shoutout to Mac Jones. He had a great game,” Slay said on the “Big Play Slay” podcast. “We stopped him early, we got (two) turnovers. But he got his groove going, man. He was making great checks, making accurate throws. He missed some throws, but he was just making great plays.”
New England started off the game slowly. This included a pick-six by Slay that gave Philadelphia an early 7-0 advantage following the extra point. Jones was quickly able to find his rhythm, and he put things together, particularly in the second half.
His final stat line included 316 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The end result wasn’t what New England fans wanted, especially on a day where the Patriots organization honored Tom Brady. Still, it was hard not to be excited about the potential of the team after watching them put up a great fight against the defending NFC champions.