Patriots QB Mac Jones relishes big-game moments

Mac Jones put together a pair of scoring drives in the fourth quarter, to help lift the Patriots over the Texans Sunday night.

During his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “Merloni and Fauria” show, the Patriots rookie quarterback was asked if he relished those big-game moments at the end of games.

Jones sure does.

“Every competitor that there is, they want to be out on the field trying to help their team win. A lot of guys on our team, they do a good job of that. They want to be in there, in pressure situations,” said Jones. “Obviously, when the game’s on the line, it’s the hardest time, but it’s also the most fun because when you finally get the win, and you realize we can win some games and keep the ball rolling, you feel great.

“So it’s just being ready for those situations as best you can,” he said, “and trusting the people around you to make plays.”

On the game-winning series, Jones, starting at his own 13-yard-line, drove the team 86 yards in 15 plays to set up Nick Folk’s winning field goal.

The Patriots, on the whole however, are still having problems converting in the red zone. They went 2-for-5 against the Texans. They also own the worst percentage (37.5%) in the NFL for converting red zone opportunities into touchdowns.

How can they improve?

“Just eliminating self-error, which starts with me, whether it’s calling the plays right, making sure everyone’s on the same page, to executing the little things,” Jones told the show’s hosts. “Once you’re inside the 30 yard line, it takes one bad play, and you’re going to end up kicking a field goal. It’s good that we’ve identified that.

“We just have to come up with all these creative ways . . . execute our bread and butter plays and get the ball moving positively, then the touchdowns will come. But if we shoot ourselves in the foot, then we’ll take a step back and kick a field goal. It’s not always bad to do that, but doing that every time, you can’t win.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3v2OdFk