When blitzed, Jones averages 6.7 yards per attempt (20th in the NFL), and he has a quarterback rating of 81.0 (18th). Why? Because Jones and his Patriots teammates haven't consistently burned defenses who do turn up the heat. Over the last month, he's been blitzed 34.2 percent of the time.
And it's been a fairly steady wave of pressure for him from the jump.
Jones has been blitzed at the second-highest rate in the league this season (34.9 percent), behind only Jackson (36.1), per PFF. In particular, there is one very specific way in which defenses have tried to attack him: Blitz him to kingdom come. There is yet another truth we can take away from Jones' play through his rookie season's first 11 weeks. And in those inevitable junctures on third down, when a good quarterback needs to make good reads, throw accurately and on time - when good quarterbacks elevate their teams - Jones has been extremely effective over the last month and a half. Josh McDaniels has helped him manage the rigors of the position with his play-calling approach. It turns out two things can be true: Jones has been helped by his situation, and he's been good.īill Belichick has surrounded him with an impressive running game and one of the league's best defenses. They're third in explosive pass rate this season (11 percent of their throws result in gains of 15 yards or more) and second since Week 5, per Sharp Football Stats. When the Patriots do take to the air, even if Jones isn't launching it deep as often as others, they remain explosive. and maybe more | Listen & F ollow | Watch on YouTube
Next Pats Podcast: Why Mac Jones is good enough to win the AFC East. He's attacking the sticks in third-and-long spots more often than former MVPs like Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson and Matt Ryan. On third down this season, the Patriots are fifth in conversion rate (45.8 percent), and Jones is 10th in the NFL when it comes to his third-down aggressiveness. Since Week 5, in third-and-five-or-longer situations - when the straight dropback passing game is typically the answer - Jones is first in passing success rate and first in quarterback rating. The Patriots - thanks in part to the league's biggest offensive line - are the most efficient offense in football during their five-game winning streak.īut we can also say that when the team has needed Jones to bail them out, he's been excellent of late. Those are the kinds of quarterbacking cheat-codes that can make a young passer's life a little easier. They use play-action at the sixth-highest rate in the league, and they use screens at the ninth-highest rate in football. Since Week 5, they are the most run-heavy team in football in "situation-neutral" moments (when the score is within seven points during the first three quarters, excluding the final two minutes of the first half). We can say the Patriots have done plenty to help Jones with their play-calling. (You can read about how Next Gen calculates completion probability here.) He's currently fifth in that category among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts, behind only Kyler Murray, Teddy Bridgewater, Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott. Not only is Jones second in the league in completion percentage (70.2), but for the majority of the season, he's ranked inside the top 10 when it comes to Next Gen's completion percentage over expectation metric. We can say he's among the most accurate quarterbacks in the league. Buccaneers Officially Release Wide Receiver Antonio Brown