Heading into Week 4, the Patriots are 1-2 and have Tom Brady and the Buccaneers coming to town in what will be one of the more anticipated regular-season games in the history of sports.
So, how will Mac Jones approach it?
Appearing on Merloni & Fauria Monday afternoon, it doesn't seem like Jones is going to allow the hype get to him.
“I think just fixing the corrections from the game we just played is obviously really important and then moving on with the game plan for this week," he said. "It will definitely be exciting. Tampa Bay is a great team and it is a new week. We’re excited and the only thing we can do is focus on each day and then when Sunday comes we’ll just go out there and play as hard as we can. It will be good.”
Jones was hit 11 times Sunday against New Orleans and that likely will be a major focus preparing for Tampa Bay's powerful front seven.
“I think a lot of it has to do with me and getting the ball out quick and reading the defense quicker and then all that stuff will take care of itself," he said. "I can do a better job and just watching the film, just don’t move unless you have to and if I have to make a play with my feet I will, but at the end of the day we want to get the ball to our skill players and let them run and do what they do.”
The rookie has put a lot of the issues with the team this year on him, which he says is part of being the quarterback.
“I just think it goes back to the execution part and it takes all 11 of us," Jones said. "It’s not just one person to blame or one person to give all the credit to. It starts with the quarterback because that is what you’re supposed to do — you’re the leader and you have the ball every play. I think we just need to make progress in practice this week and stack together some good days and then carry it over to the game and see how it goes. Because when we do that, we practice well and we can carry it into the game, we don’t really know what our full potential is. We just have to do that and see where it gets us.”
Patriots-Buccaneers will kickoff Sunday at 8:20 p.m.
