Aside from a Week 17 blowout win over the Jaguars, it hasn’t been the greatest final month of the regular season for Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones. New England has lost three of its last four games entering the playoffs, and Jones has committed multiple turnovers in all three losses.
In Sunday’s 33-24 loss to the Dolphins, Jones threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and also lost a fumble when he dropped a snap. The Patriots are now 1-5 on the season when Jones turns the ball over more than once.
So, is there reason to be concerned about Jones come Saturday night and his first NFL playoff game? Making his weekly appearance on The Greg Hill Show, CBS analyst and WFAN host Boomer Esiason wasn’t ready to hit the panic button, saying he doesn’t think any stage will be too big or Jones.
“I don’t think anything’s too much for him,” Esiason said. “…There’s something to be said about everything we watched and witnessed this year. It’s a long season. He may have hit the wall here or there, but even yesterday he had a comeback in the second half that he led. There’s no question that it was a rough game for him, but he forgot all about the rough parts and just focused on what he needed to get done to win the football game -- just a little bit too late. I honestly think that the kid can handle anything.”
That said, Esiason does think Jones will have to show he can perform in bad weather. The Patriots won in high winds in Buffalo last month, but Jones only had to throw three passes as the Patriots opted to run the ball pretty much all game. The forecast for Saturday night in Buffalo doesn’t call for the same kind of wind, but it does call for temperatures under 20 degrees and a chance of snow.
“The weather is the big factor for him, going into Buffalo, playing against a defense that tends to blitz and get all over you and you have to make quick decisions,” Esiason said. “And when you have to do it in a windy stadium, it makes it that much more difficult. But the mental part of it, I think he’s fine. I feel like he’s fine. I feel like he can handle anything.”
Listen to the full interview with Esiason here:
