Patriots OC Josh McDaniels Has Total Confidence In QB Mac Jones

Last week, the Patriots dialed up fewer passes than the Army-Navy game -- which had three total. Though the Patriots ultimately won the game 14-10, many still questioned whether the New England coaches trust rookie quarterback Mac Jones to get the job done. But according to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the game plan was to favor reward over risk -- and Jones was on board with that.

“Could we have thrown it 15 times? Yeah, probably. Would it have incurred some risk? Most definitely," McDaniels said of the team's decision to have Jones throw just three times.

What risk, you ask? Well, extremely high-winds and a mix of moisture engulfed Buffalo's Highmark Stadium throughout the game.

"The wind the other night was not one direction only. It wasn’t like it was going like this, and that was it," said McDaniels. "There was some cross-wind, and there was some this way.”

Because of those conditions, McDaniels and company opted to keep the ball on the ground rather than have Jones air it out.

"I have a lot of confidence in him," McDaniels said of Jones. "If the game requires us to throw it 50-some times, like it did against Tampa this year, and we didn’t run it very well, and we didn’t run it very much either, then we were willing to do that, because that’s what was required based on circumstance and situation.”

Jones finished the night 2 of 3 passing for 19 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The stat line was slim, but the end result was a win, pushing the Patriots' record to 9-4, good for best in the AFC.

“Mac’s great. I think that the No. 1 thing I can say about him is that he cares most about winning,” McDaniels said Tuesday. “This is not for personal statistics or glory or anything like that. I think that’s why you have a lot of people feel the way they do about him as a person."

His trust in Jones will likely be on display Saturday when New England visits division rival Indianapolis. The Colts have a retractable roof, so weather shouldn't be an issue. FanDuel Sportsbook lists the visiting Pats as 2.5 point underdogs.

 

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