September 18, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.Mandatory Credit: Charles Leclerc-USA TODAY Sports
It only took New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones just over two seasons to tie Tom Brady in one statistic, and that’s not a good thing.
Jones threw No. 6 in the first half of the Patriots’ game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The quarterback was hit right where a sack should have been, and the ball fell right into the hands of Tyrann Mathieu.
.@saint Choose 6! 🚨 @Mathieu_Era And steal!
📺： #NOvsNE on cbs
📱: Live broadcast #NFLPlus https://t.co/LxW25sxPWA pic.twitter.com/ASK40UJKxL– NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2023
Sunday was Jones’ 19th career game at Gillette Stadium. This is his fourth home game since becoming the Patriots’ starting quarterback. That equals the 135 games Tom Brady has played at Gillette Stadium during his career in New England.
Mac Jones’ first-quarter interception was his fourth career pick-six at Gillette Stadium.
That’s as much as Tom Brady has put into Gillette his entire career. (Gillette Stadium opened in 2002) pic.twitter.com/NWrci5LO3i
—ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 8, 2023
No one thought Jones was going to be Brady. These are vacancies that are impossible to fill. However, the pick-six numbers are a reminder of just how much Jones has struggled, especially the past two seasons.
Jones also had an interception that was returned for a touchdown in last week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys (video here ). While Bill Belichick insists the former Alabama star is not in danger of losing his starting job, the changes the Patriots make in practice this week could prove to be quite telling.