For the first time since Tom Brady left, the New England Patriots have made it into theNFL playoffs. On top of that, they did it with a quarterback who might be prepared to keep the position in the long term.
Bill Belichick has found in Mac Jonesan ideal candidate to play for him for the years to come. He adjusted to theplaybook quickly and has proven that he willrespondtowhateverthelegendaryhead coachasks ofhim.
Besides, the 23-year-old has handled pressure incredibly well for a rookie. Even with mistakes, Jonesgave the Patriots reasons for optimism in his first year in the league. But the season isnāt over yet and heās about to play the biggest game of his careerso far.
Mac Jonesā optimistic message beforethe Patriots-Bills Wild Card game
On Saturday, the Patriotsā Super Bowl aspirations will be on the line when they hit the road to take on division rivals Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card game of the playoffs. It will be ahuge challenge for Jones as heāll be inthe national spotlight.
However, the pressure seems to motivate him. āThereās more at stake and you have to realize that thereās not a lot of room for error. Thatās kind of what makes it fun,ā Jones said in hispress conference, per USA Todayās Patriots Wire.āThereās more pressure and, like I said, you prepare well, you feel comfortable, and at that point, you go play the game that youāve played since you were little.
āI just try to listen to the advice they have, whether itās Josh, Coach Belichick, or anybody, even the older players thatāve done this before,ā Jonesadded.āFootballās obviously an emotional game, but at the end of the day, itās more of an execution game. You just have to go out there, depending on your position. Some guys like to get real hyped up and stuff. Some guys donāt. Youāve just got to be you.ā
Patriots fans will probably feel encouraged by their quarterbackās words. Despite thechallenging outlook, Jones looks calm and ready to play his first NFL playoff game. Then, of course, weāllhave to wait andsee if things go according to plan for him.





