Mac Jones Lights Up Giants In Patriots' Joint Practice Session, Capitalizing On Cam Newton's Absence
BOSTON (CBS) -- When reports first surfaced that Cam Newton would be missing for three practices this week, the big question became whether Mac Jones would take advantage.
On Wednesday, with the Giants in town for a joint practice session, Jones answered that question with an undeniable yes.
The rookie out of Alabama was absolutely dominant against the Giants, completing 21 of his first 23 passes, including 14 in a row, according to The Athletic's Jeff Howe:
Mac Jones just threw back-to-back TDs and is 21 of 23 so far in practice against the Giants starting defense. He's completed 14 consecutive passes.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 25, 2021
Jones stretched that run of consecutive completions to 18 before a pass was batted down at the line, per the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan.
Mac Jones just completed 18 straight passes against the Giants in team drills around one "sack." His streak ended with a pass tipped at the ling of scrimmage
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 25, 2021
He's 24-of-28 overall. He's taken two sacks, by my count.
This has been his best practice as a Patriot.
Callahan also noted that Mac Jones looks to be worlds better than Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft:
Through almost 90 minutes of today's Patriots-Giants practice, Mac Jones > Daniel Jones.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 25, 2021
And it hasn't been close.
CLNS Media's Evan Lazar tracked Mac Jones at 16-for-19 to start 11-on-11 work.
#Patriots QB Mac Jones is now 16-of-19 in 11s going against the #Giants starting defense. Just finished his last series with a TD to Gunner in the low red zone on a crosser. Very good day.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 25, 2021
In what was a rather lengthy practice session, Jones punctuated the performance with an impressive touchdown pass to Jakobi Myers, too.
Mac Jones with another great throw - this time a deep ball to Jakobi Meyers, who made a great catch in double coverage. Really, really nice play.
— Mark Daniels (@MarkDanielsPJ) August 25, 2021
When the day ended, MassLive's Chris Mason tallied Jones as going 33-for-39 against the Giants, with zero interceptions. NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry had Jones at 21-for-24 in 11-on-11 reps and 8-for-8 on 7-on-7's.
Have a day, Mac Jones. 33 for 39. Bunch of TDs. 0 INTs. Given a chance to compete with the 1s, rookie delivered his best practice of camp. Tore up the Giants defense.
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) August 25, 2021
Highlights: Perfectly placed wheel route to James White. 35-yard connection with Jakobi Meyers.
Very efficient day for Mac Jones today. He went 21-for-24 in 11-on-11s and 8-for-8 in 7-on-7s.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) August 25, 2021
He had to eat one in 7-on-7s. Nearly threw a pick in 11-on-11s. Took a sack and a delay of game penalty. Still, with all the work, he was the best quarterback on the field today.
Mac Jones looked like a seasoned NFL starter today.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 25, 2021
We'll see what tomorrow brings — today was just one day — but Cam Newton picked a bad time to miss a few practices. https://t.co/vl9fL6bzRy
It wasn't a perfect day from Jones ...
... but it was nevertheless a notably impressive day from the rookie.
Newton will return to the practice field on Thursday, for the second and final joint practice of the summer. After that, we'll (likely) see both quarterbacks on Sunday in the preseason finale against the Giants, and we won't get a good view on the quarterback situation until the season kicks off on Sept. 12.
If Jones ends up surpassing Newton on the depth chart -- and that remains a big if at this point -- we will likely look back to this particular day as the moment when the competition shifted significantly in the rookie's favor.