Mac Jones got a long look from both the Patriots coaching staff and the team's fans in his first preseason game.
The Patriots won a football game in front of their home fans. It’s almost like the world has returned to normal.
Of course, New England’s first “real” NFL action of the 2021 season wasn’t exactly flawless, despite the 25-13 final score.
Despite the hype surrounding the team’s two starting quarterbacks, the Patriots offense didn’t score until both Cam Newton and Mac Jones were sitting on the bench for the night. A few penalties marred drives. A couple of possible big plays couldn’t quite connect.
Still, there were plenty of good things for Bill Belichick and company to chew on heading into preseason Week 2, including some solid play from a number of their young players (Jones included).
Here are a few takeaways from the game.
The quarterback competition stays about the same.
Suffice it to say things could’ve gone better for the Patriots offensive unit to start things off.
Cam Newton’s first possession of the game ended with him being jumped from behind by Washington’s Chase Young, who completely torched left tackle Isaiah Wynn on third down.
Though the play ended up being ruled an incompletion rather than a forced fumble, it felt like exactly the kind of bad break that might swing the quarterback competition between Newton and Mac Jones.
To his credit, Newton bounced back, leading the offense on an efficient second drive that was derailed by a Jonnu Smith holding penalty. Aside from an errant screen pass on 3rd-and-long, the veteran got the ball out of his hands in a timely fashion and used his legs to extend a play before completing a throw to James White.
Still, he couldn’t lead the offense to the end zone, having to settle for a field goal from Quinn Nordin.
Jones, though he looked solid from the start (more on that later), ultimately fared similarly.
After a crisp beginning to his first-ever real drive in a Patriots uniform, which featured two excellent throws to Kristian Wilkerson and Kendrick Bourne, the offense had to settle for a field goal on his watch as well.
Then, following a punt on his second drive, Jones’s methodical “hurry-up” drive to begin the third quarter fizzled out in the red zone, leading to another field goal.
Though the quarterback play was solid from both Newton and Jones – perhaps even a touch better with Jones in the game – neither was able to distinguish themselves with a touchdown drive.
As Bill Belichick has repeatedly said, everyone still has a long way to go. That said…
Mac Jones will make this a real competition.
A moment of adversity came up right away for the rookie quarterback in his first offensive series.
His low second-down throw to Jakobi Meyers looked like it was caught, but officials ruled the pass incomplete, taking away a first-down play and setting up a 3rd-and-5.
How did the first-round pick respond? By sticking a well-timed comeback route right into Kristian Wilkerson’s gut for a first down along the left sideline.
But the young man wasn’t done slinging it yet.
His next throw was nothing less than perfection: a snappy play-action throw on an in-breaking route to Kendrick Bourne layered between the linebackers and the secondary. That’s a pretty high-level throw for a guy who’s playing against another NFL team for the first time.
Then, he launched a beautiful second-down deep ball down the left sideline for Wilkerson that the second-year receiver couldn’t quite haul in against solid downfield coverage. If he’d hit that, Gillette might have broken the sound barrier.
Still, there was a little room for improvement, as should be expected from a rookie.
His last toss of his first drive was rushed and off-target to Bourne, falling incomplete and forcing the Patriots to kick a field goal.
Then a second-down throw to Jakob Johnson in the flat on his next drive was low and a bit off-target, forcing Johnson to adjust for the catch. If Jones had put the throw out in front of the fullback, Johnson might have been able to turn up field for a first down.
The next play, he climbed the pocket nicely but couldn’t escape a closing pass rush to pick up a first down on 3rd-and-short — that’s an example of a play Newton might be able to convert with his legs.
His final drive of the game also didn’t go swimmingly. The offense started with a false start with Jones leaning backward like he was expecting a snap that didn’t come. He then took a sack and missed just a touch too long for an open Gunner Olszewski on a deep corner route on 3rd-and-long, leading to a punt.
But all in all, it’s hard to think the Patriots didn’t come away happy with what they saw from their rookie quarterback.
He generally threw the ball accurately and on time as he has all training camp and even ran a solid hurry-up offense in the third quarter, completing eight of his nine pass attempts on the drive.
His performance wasn’t quite a decisive stroke against Newton’s candidacy as the team’s starting quarterback. But make no mistake: the kid is coming.
Matt Judon and Josh Uche are really good.
With the Patriots defense looking like it might be on the verge of giving up a 3rd-and-short deep in their territory, the man who looks like its best player (sans Stephon Gilmore) stepped up.
Judon came knifing in from the backside to drop running back Antonio Gibson for a loss, forcing Washington to punt and showing the Patriots won’t be the same pushovers on the ground they were last season.
Unfortunately, Judon had a short stay in the medical tent on the next drive after taking a low block to the leg. But he only missed one play and came out of the game with other starters shortly after.
One series was all we needed to see what has been true all training camp: Judon is a force to be reckoned with both as a pass-rusher and run defender.
As far as Uche goes, you can rest assured the noise you’ve been hearing about him wasn’t just training camp smoke. This man is really like that.
After weeks of thrashing Patriots tackles in 1-on-1 drills and team segments, Uche took some turns rocketing past Washington’s offensive linemen Thursday.
He had a nasty setup and rip move on a third-down pass rush that produced pressure on Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who misfired on 3rd-and-4 to force a punt.
Later, he ran stride-for-stride with rolling Heinicke, forcing a high throw down field that was nearly intercepted by Myles Bryant.
He even dropped into coverage and tracked down a running back for a stop along the sideline, a piece of versatility that will serve him well as he seeks for more snaps.
Judon and Uche weren’t the only defenders that looked good Thursday night. But they clearly looked a cut above the rest. If they keep playing like this when the games matter, they’re going to cause all kinds of problems for opposing offenses.
Rhamondre Stevenson explodes.
Mac Jones might not have been the best Patriots rookie to hit the field Thursday night.
Stevenson took his opportunities in the fourth quarter and ran with them — literally — to essentially win the Patriots their first preseason game.
His first big series of work in the fourth quarter featured some incredible nifty cutbacks and wiggles to make defenders miss in space before slamming in a short touchdown to give New England their first of the day.
Then, facing a 3rd-and-8 inside with just over a minute to play, the fourth-round pick took a pitch off the right side, turned the corner, and outran the defense for a game-clinching 91-yard score.
He’s shown glimpses of his power in training camp, running over safety Myles Bryant in the team’s first padded practice, as well as soft hands catching the ball out of the backfield.
But Thursday’s game action showed he’s more than just a bowling ball that can catch, displaying explosion and big-play ability that perhaps only Damien Harris has in the Patriots running back room.
He might still be a bit of a question mark as far as how much he’ll actually play this season, with a “redshirt” year a strong possibility. But moments like this make you wonder if he might put Sony Michel’s role into some doubt.
If nothing else, at least running backs coach Ivan Fears probably won’t be chewing out his rookie too much after this one.
Quinn Nordin is laying claim to the kicker job.
Not bad for someone who was looking at jobs on Linkedin a few months ago.
The undrafted rookie continued his strong week by making all of his field-goal attempts and added an important extra point to seal the game.
The highlight: a 50-yard bomb that looked so good off his leg that Nordin started dapping up holder Jake Bailey before the ball sailed through the uprights.
He did finally miss a kick in the 4th quarter, pushing an extra-point try just too far to the right. So his perfect streak inside Gillette Stadium is finally over.
But you still have to think Nordin has finally graduated from a total long-shot to make the roster, to a legitimate contender for the kicking job. And even if he doesn’t make the team, he’s got a chance to either make the Patriots practice squad or potentially earn a job someplace else.
After Washington’s Dustin Hopkins missed two kicks Thursday night, maybe there could be a spot for Nordin there if he doesn’t stick around in New England.
Quick Hits
-Joejuan Williams got a very long look Thursday night, playing all the way into the fourth quarter. But it took him a while to do much of interest.
Then, a pass from Steven Montez ricocheted into the air and parachuted right into Williams’s waiting arms. And the third-year cornerback finally got the big break he’d been looking for.
The big cornerback picked off the pass and had a very good return to set up Rhamondre Stevenson’s touchdown run. Later, he registered a pass breakup on a deep comeback, doing a great job of sticking with the receiver and driving on the throw to knock it away.
On the play of the game — a two-point conversion attempt Washington needed to tie the contest, it was Williams again in the spotlight, dislodging the ball from Antonio Gandy-Golden to preserve the Patriots’ two-point lead.
Those are exactly the kinds of plays Williams has to make if he’s going to latch on at the end of the 53-man roster.
-With the Patriots putting Jones through his paces during his opening drive of the second half, the offense introduced a couple of RPO throws to get the ball out of Jones’s hands quickly.
Though those kinds of throws are often thought to be “gimmicky” plays only used with “running” quarterbacks, they’re not. Jones ran a heavy amount of RPOs at Alabama last season. Those types of plays actually fit his style very well because they rely on quick decision-making and a fast release — two things Jones is known for.
If he works his way into the starting lineup this season, expect the Patriots to keep mixing in those kinds of quick reads more regularly.
-Ronnie Perkins had a rough play early in the game where he allowed Taylor Heinicke to break contain on a scramble, but he rebounded very well after that.
He had a few strong pressures, including one that led to Williams’s interception in the fourth quarter.
-N’Keal Harry played well into the 3rd quarterback but ended up with just one catch on the day for four yards. On the other hand, Wilkerson led all pass-catchers from both teams with six grabs for 39 yards.
If those two are competing for the theoretical last receiver spot right now, you have to think the arrow is moving very much in Wilkerson’s direction.
-Boy, is Jonnu Smith going to be fun to watch when he has the ball in his hands. His first catch was an illustration of exactly why Belichick once said he was the best tight end in the league with the ball in his hands.
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