In a sea full of critics, Dan Orlovsky has continued to defend Mac Jones despite his struggles in Year 3 with the Patriots. So, after New England upset the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in its first win since Week 3, the former NFL quarterback was ready to go on ESPN’s “First Take” on Monday.
“He’s been unfairly handled, unfairly criticized, unfairly judged. It’s been a mess. When Mac Jones was drafted in New England, it was like, ‘Oh man, he’s going to the best place possible.’ In three years, it’s one of the worst places possible,” Orlovsky said. “And everyone’s like, ‘Well, Mac Jones stinks. Mac Jones can’t play. Mac Jones doesn’t anticipate. Mac Jones can’t have accuracy. Mac Jones doesn’t go through progressions.’ Yes, he does. He absolutely does.”
Jones turned in his best performance of the year Sunday, completing 25 of his 30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. He looked confident and didn’t turn the ball over. His offensive line protected him and it looked as if Jones had some go-to guys that he trusted.
The 2021 first-round pick hasn’t lived up to expectations after turning in a solid rookie year. Jones took a big step back in 2022 — something Orlovsky says is due to having Matt Patricia and Joe Judge call offensive plays as well as not having offensive weapons that can make explosive plays.
“Josh Allen’s got way more (talent). Zach Wilson’s got way more. Tua Tagovailoa’s got way more. Trevor Lawrence has got way more. Deshaun Watson has way more. Lamar Jackson, who was unbelievable yesterday. All these guys have so much more talent,” Orlovsky said. “And he’s got a bad offensive line. But we want Mac Jones to play like, ‘Oh, where’s the third-year leap?’ With what? With who?
“And then all of sudden, there’s a little rhythm in their offense yesterday. A guy makes a play or two. (Demario) Douglas makes a couple of plays downfield with the ball in his hands,” he added. “And then all of a sudden, Mac Jones beats the Buffalo Bills — ‘Oh, maybe he can play a little bit.’ What’s been done to Mac Jones is a joke. I’m not sitting here telling everybody he’s Patrick Mahomes. But he still has the chance to be a good player in this league — a really good player at quarterback.”
While it hasn’t been the easiest path for Jones during his three years in New England, Jones hasn’t exactly given fans a slew of reasons to be confident in him. He was benched in consecutive games, a lack of trust in his teammates was evident by holding onto the ball too long and taking a sack and at times he just didn’t look confident on the field.
That changed Sunday when he had control the whole game and led a game-winning drive to help complete the upset over their AFC East rival. But the Patriots are 2-5 and still face an uphill battle if they want to turn their season around and avoid a losing campaign. Jones said Monday on WEEI that the momentum can’t stop after one game, and the Patriots will certainly need to carry Week 7 into Week 8 when they take on the Miami Dolphins on the road.
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Story by Lauren Campbell, Masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.
