It took New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones only two-plus seasons to tie Tom Brady in one statistical category, and that is not a good thing.
Jones threw a pick-six in the first half of the Patriots’ game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The quarterback was hit on a throw where he probably should have taken a sack, and the ball landed right in the hands of Tyrann Mathieu.
.@SAINTS PICK 6! 🚨 @Mathieu_Era with the steal!
📺: #NOvsNE on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/LxW25sxPWA pic.twitter.com/ASK40UJKxL— NFL (@NFL) October 8, 2023
Sunday was Jones’ 19th career game at Gillette Stadium. The pick-six was his fourth at home since he became the starting quarterback for the Patriots. That is as many as Tom Brady threw in the 135 games he played at Gillette Stadium during his career in New England.
Mac Jones' 1st-quarter interception was his 4th career pick-six thrown at Gillette Stadium.
That's as many as Tom Brady threw at Gillette his entire career. (Gillette Stadium opened in 2002) pic.twitter.com/NWrci5LO3i
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 8, 2023
No one expects Jones to be Brady. Those are impossible shoes to fill. However, the pick-six stat is a reminder of how much Jones has struggled, particularly over the past two seasons.
Jones also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in last week’s blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys (video here). While Bill Belichick insists the former Alabama star is not in danger of losing his starting job, a change the Patriots made in practice this week may prove to be quite telling.
