EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Mac Jones now has his first of what the Patriots hope are many NFL wins.
The Patriots took care of business Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium beating the Jets, 25-6.
Jones finished the game 22-for-30 with 186 yards. The Patriots took full advantage of a tough performance from Zach Wilson, who had four interceptions.
New England led from start to finish and the game was never in doubt.
Here are 10 quick thoughts on the game.
1. Jones was solid and took what the Jets defense gave him. Just like in Week 1, the majority of his passes were of the check-down variety, but that’s what this Patriots offense is. Josh McDaniels may be criticized for the lack of downfield passing, but there’s nothing wrong doing things the way he is with a rookie QB. The Patriots are taking advantage of Jones’ strengths.
2. Wilson was dreadful. He became the first player since at least 1991 to throw interceptions on each of his first two pass attempts in a game. He’s also the first player since at least 1991 to throw three interceptions in his first five pass attempts in a game. JC Jackson had two of them, which will certainly help his cause with getting paid this coming offseason as a free agent.
3. James White was terrific. The veteran led the offense with six catches for 45 yards and added 20 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He seems to be a huge beneficiary of having Jones at quarterback opposed to Cam Newton. It's good to see him do well, too. He's one of the most likable players in the locker room.
4. The Patriots’ run defense is still an issue. The unit allowed 152 yards on the ground and 336 yards overall. This is a bad sign, especially considering the front-seven is supposed to be one of the biggest strengths of the team and so much money was devoted to it last offseason.
5. With Trent Brown (calf) out, right tackle was a major issue in the game. Yasir Durant got the start, but was benched towards the end of the first half and replaced by Justin Herron. Herron got injured late in the first half, but returned to action for the second. The team is opting not to slide Michael Onwenu outside and have Ted Karras take his place at left guard. As a whole, it wasn't a great day for this group.
6. While he wasn’t used as much as he was in Week 1, Damien Harris had a good bounce-back game after fumbling late last week. Harris finished with 67 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown in the third quarter where he refused to go down. Several Patriots, including Jones ran down to the goal-line to help push him into the end zone.
7. Nick Folk continues to be super reliable for the Patriots. He kicked four field goals and now holds the team record for consecutive made field goals with 33. Dating back to last year, he may be the Patriots’ most consistent player. He did miss an extra point, but it didn’t impact the end result in any way.
8. When it comes to nit-picks, it still feels like the Patriots are short a wide receiver or two. This is one of the reasons for McDaniels and the offense not taking many shots down the field — they just don’t have the bodies to do so. This is something that has been discussed since the offseason.
9. It was interesting to see Tashawn Bower, who was elevated from the practice squad Saturday, to play more than outside linebackers Chase Winovich and Josh Uche. Winovich and Uche came on for obvious passing downs, but it feels like they should be used more, especially over a player like Bower.
10. Quarterbacks were a major storyline in the AFC East Sunday. Jones got his first NFL win, Wilson struggled and then in Miami Tua Tagovailoa was injured. We’ll see what Brian Flores and Co. do, as it seems like they would want to bring someone else in with Jacoby Brissett. They have been the team most mentioned when it comes to trading for Deshaun Watson.