Mac Jones, Patriots blast Jacksonville 50-10, clinch playoff berth

FOXBORO — Mac Jones danced.

He bounced around the field pregame, slapping hands and rifling passes. He alternated traditional hand-offs with customized handshakes. Everywhere he walked during warmups Sunday, Jones emanated joy.

Somehow, a rookie bearing the weight of a two-game losing streak, his own personal skid and tight playoff race looked like as a feather. What did this kid know?

Scoring touchdowns on their first five drives, Jones and the Patriots obliterated Jacksonville 50-10 over a sorely needed get-right game. The victory helped clinch a playoff berth, which the Titans delivered by beating Miami minutes later. Before Jones celebrated his first postseason trip, he eased concerns over recent struggles with a stellar performance built on safe throws and play-action punishment.

He finished 22-of-30 for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Practice-squad wideout Kristian Wilkerson claimed two of those scores, the first of his NFL career. Wilkerson effectively replaced N’Keal Harry, a healthy scratch, on the game-day roster after being elevated from the practice squad Saturday.

Meanwhile, Jones’ rookie counterpart, Trevor Lawrence, threw a pick party and invited half the Patriots secondary. J.C. Jackson, Kyle Dugger and Myles Bryant all grabbed interceptions, while helping limit the Jaguars to a field goal before garbage time and 253 total yards.

Playing together for the first time in a month, running backs Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson pounded out 142 combined rushing yards and four touchdowns. Harris sat the second half due to apparent concern over a hamstring injury, but Stevenson picked up the slack with a career-high 107 yards. Though Harris’ hammy was the Patriots’ only concern after halftime.

Fed up with stubbing their toe in the first quarter, the Patriots offense rolled to an opening-drive touchdown for the first time since late November. Jakobi Meyers (eight catches, 73 yards) converted both third downs with short catches, before Harris covered the last nine yards on a couple bruising carries. The Jaguars answered on their next series with a 29-yard field goal.

But that was all for them until intermission.

After Harris scored his second touchdown for a 14-3 lead, the Patriots snipped Jacksonville’s next two series with interceptions. Myles Bryant grabbed the first after a Lawrence pass slipped through Ryquell Armstead’s hands, then J.C. Jackson dove and scooped the second near midfield. Jackson’s pick gave him 25 all-time and tied an NFL record for most through the first four seasons of a player’s career.

Jones immediately cashed both picks in for points, firing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Wilkerson with less than five minutes left in second quarter. After Lawrence’s second interception, Jones dropped a perfect 4-yard parabola to Meyers into the back left corner of the end zone at 0:52 remaining before the break.

Taking a sack on his next series, Lawrence killed his own 2-minute drill and closed the half down 25. He later finished 17-of-27 for 193 yards, one touchdown and a pick.

Taking the ball out of halftime, Wilkerson caught a 20-yard touchdown pass with no Jaguar defender around for miles. After the team’s first and only punt, the Patriots rang up three more scores, including both of Stevenson’s touchdowns. Pats backup quarterback Brian Hoyer took over with more than 10 minutes left.

Here were the best and worst Patriot performances from Sunday:

Best

Offensive line Jones wasn’t sacked once, the Pats rushed for 181 yards and crushed Jacksonville in short-yardage. It was a great day to be an O-lineman.

WR Kristian Wilkerson A dream-like performance for Wilkerson, who should be elevated to the 53-man roster soon.

QB Mac Jones This was the rookie quarterback New England has come to know.

Worst

Field goal unit Nick Folk missed an extra point and had another fail to get off the ground in the second quarter.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3qGly7g