Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels believes Mac Jones is still capable of good things, despite the third-year quarterback’s rough start to the 2023 season.
McDaniels got to see Jones’ capabilities firsthand as a rookie. In 2021, Jones recorded 3,801 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The passing yards and touchdowns are still the most to this point in his career.
Since then, Jones has taken a bit of a nosedive.
He threw for 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2022, and he’s off to another rough start this year as well with five touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. His 74.2 quarterback rating is ranked 26th in the NFL. Things have not gone smoothly for the Alabama product this season.
However, McDaniels was quick to praise him, per a transcript provided by Patriots.com.
“He’s a very talented player. Accuracy has always been a huge part of his game, touch, anticipation,” said McDaniels. “He has all those things at a very high level. They’ve battled the same bug we’ve battled honestly, with the turnovers and losing opportunities through change of possession. So, I’m sure that’s something that they’re going to work hard at limiting and getting rid of, and it’s the same thing we’re talking about.
“But this is a guy who’s a very capable passer in every situation. He’s played big and big games. He’s battled against really good teams, made some high-level throws and hung in there. Very tough in the pocket, gets hit and gets right up and goes to the next play. So, a lot of respect for him, a lot of admiration for what he did when I was there. It’ll be a big challenge for us this week.”
There’s still a lot of football to be played this season. Nevertheless, there is already a report that the Patriots might turn to backup quarterback Will Grier if things go awry. It’s a bit of a fall from grace for Jones, who was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
New England needs him to right the ship on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders before a brutal two-game stretch against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
