Mac Jones saved from 84-yard pick-six by roughing the passer penalty on Jets' John Franklin-Myers
BOSTON -- Mac Jones threw a truly awful ball that was plucked out of the air by Jets corner Michael Carter, who took it 84 yards to the house just before halftime. But that pick-six was taken off the board by a controversial roughing the passer on New York's John Franklin-Myers, which was a huge play in the 22-17 New England victory.
The Patriots were threatening to score in the second quarter, set up at the New Yok 25, when Jones threw his first-and-10 pass to... no one in particular. Tyquan Thornton was in the area, but Jones' throw was nowhere near the receiver.
It was one of Jones' worst passes of the season, which has been filled with bad passes from the second-year quarterback.
That defensive score would have given New York a 17-3 lead ahead of halftime. But Franklin-Myers was flagged for hitting Jones after the QB threw the pass, and the touchdown was taken off the board.
New York had to call a timeout after the play because head coach Robert Saleh was losing his mind with officials following the call. After the game, New York defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins said it was a huge "momentum-shifting" call.
"It's a tough call, obviously. We know they're going to protect quarterbacks; that's the world we live in. Sometimes they make that call and sometimes they don't. They made it right there, and that pick-six would have been huge," he said. "But that is the way football works sometimes. We have to be able to regroup, make stops, and find ways to win the game."
The Patriots got the ball back with 23 seconds, but seemed OK with settling for a field goal as they didn't take any shots downfield. The pick-six that wasn't ended up being a 10-point swing for the Jets, as the Patriots kicked a field goal just before halftime to make it a 10-6 game.
The Patriots scored 19 unanswered points after the pick-six came back, and the defense nearly shut out New York in the second half before the Jets scored a touchdown with 1:51 left to make it a 22-17 game.
Jones was 24-for-35 for 194 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the win.
