Mac Jones looked sharp in his preseason debut with the New England Patriots on Thursday night, and his stat line could have been even better if not for a bad call. Bill Belichick had an opportunity to challenge the play, and you can probably guess what the coach’s explanation was for passing it up.
Jones had a 15-yard pass attempt to Jakobi Meyers in the first quarter that Meyers had to pick off the turf. It was ruled incomplete. Replays showed that Meyers got his left hand under the ball and kept it from hitting the ground. You can see the video below:
Mac Jones' first pass is officially incomplete, but Jakobi Meyers caught that ball pic.twitter.com/RJJazAU7Zn
— Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL) August 13, 2021
The incompletion came on 2nd-and-6. Jones completed a 7-yard pass on the next play for a first down, so it didn’t cost the Patriots much. When asked after the game why he didn’t challenge the ruling, Belichick said he simply didn’t feel like it.
Bill Belichick asked why he didn't challenge Jakobi Meyers' apparent reception which was ruled a completion.
"Yeah, didn't feel like challenging it."
Didn't feel like it? pic.twitter.com/peTDTUhsRa
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) August 13, 2021
That explanation would be a lot more infuriating for Patriots fans during the regular season. At the same time, it’s good to see Belichick already in midseason form with the media.
Jones completed 13-of-19 passes for 87 yards in his team’s 22-13 win. He looked comfortable in his first live NFL action. Belichick recently shared a small hint about New England’s QB situation, but Cam Newton is the favorite to start in Week 1. If Jones keeps playing like he did on Thursday, Newton will have to be at the top of his game to keep his job.
