FOXBOROUGH — For every NFL rookie who is counted on to be a big-time contributor by their team, there comes a point of no return in that campaign.
If you've had enough reps, you either stay a rookie for the rest of the season, or you graduate to being a legit NFL player.
You've played enough games. Seen enough things. Faced enough adversity. Sure, there are still many new things you will encounter, but largely you've seen enough.
It's put up or shut up time.
For Patriots QB Mac Jones, Sunday's 45-7 blistering of the Browns was graduation day.
He's no longer rookie QB Mac Jones. He's just Patriots QB Mac Jones.
A lot of lesser players might have turtled on that big stage. In the previous three games, Jones' play had slipped, and he and Josh McDaniels all but admitted as much. Jones was a sidecar in each of the previous three victories, either to the defense, running game or both. Just a week ago, Jones had a strip sack and interception in his own end that, if the defense didn't bail him and the offense out by holding the Panthers to field goals, very well might have cost the team the game.
"Part of it is just the inexperience, but there is no excuse for that," Jones said after beating the Panthers. "I have been here for quite a while now and I can figure out the looks that I am not used to seeing, and just go from there. ... I had two turnovers today so that is not good enough. I will look at it and see what I can do better."
Jones — and likely McDaniels — came out on Sunday against the Browns with a renewed purpose. He might have heard the legitimate whispers about a rookie wall, perhaps internally, and been challenged. Sunday was his 13th game with the Patriots, which matched his total last year at Alabama, and Sunday he surpassed the mark for the most dropbacks he's ever taken in one season.
More likely it was Jones just being ticked off about his own play. He's no dummy. He knows he was not good enough even though the team was winning. Jones likely knew that to beat a team as talented as Cleveland, a team that should be in the AFC playoff race, he was going to have to do his part. This wasn't the Jets, Chargers or Panthers — three teams that haven't sniffed the playoffs in years and are still breaking in neophyte coaches and/or quarterbacks.
This was the Browns, who were 11-5 a year ago, won a playoff game and nearly upset the AFC Champion Chiefs on their own field.
This was a real-deal challenge. The Patriots needed a QB on Sunday. They didn't need a wallflower.
They got a lion.
A much more composed and slowed-down Jones played the best game of his career to this point and was basically flawless. Jones completed 19 of 23 passes for 198 yards and a career-best three touchdowns for a 142.1 passer rating.
Advanced analytics treated him even better.
After posting his first negative Completion Percentage Above Expectation (+/-) numbers in the previous three games, Jones was a season-best +16.6 on Sunday. Best in the league through the 1 p.m. games.
Jones was supposed to complete 66.5 percent of his passes due to coverage and situations. Jones completed 82.6.
"It's his job to call plays and it's my job to execute them and everyone's job to execute them," Jones said of McDaniels. "I think we are on the same page, and it's great, and Josh has been a lot of fun to work with. He's really competitive, like everybody in our offensive room, and we have a great group of coaches top to bottom, and we just have to keep doing what we're doing."
There were two big moments in this game for Jones, and it could have gone either way for Jones and the offense.
The first was the first three third downs on the opening drive. Nothing too taxing, but to convert 3rd and 8, 3rd and 6 and 3rd and 13 (albeit on a screen pass with awful Browns defense) definitely was a statement. If the Patriots punt on that first drive, or only get a field goal, the game might have been different. The Patriots have not had to play much from behind in this four-game winning streak.
“Great play calling," Myles Garrett said. "Mac Jones made some great throws, he fit in a couple times across the middle. They were pretty much max protecting and trying to get to the middle of the field and we didn’t have answers.”
The second was the 23-yard touchdown to Kendrick Bourne.
The Browns gave Jones and Bourne a single-high safety look. Jones froze the safety to start the play, then fired a strike where only Bourne could catch the ball. And the receiver made a heck of a contested catch.
"It was another red zone play that Josh did a good job of putting together and the line gave me plenty of time and KB ran a good route and he was my read and I threw him the ball," Jones said. "He also made a really great catch. There were two guys right there and he just said, 'that's my ball' and made the play. So that's how we want our receivers to play, and all of them to do that. So it's really fun when you can throw it and know that they are going to attack the ball in the red zone."
Mac Jones to Kendrick Bourne in between 2 DBs for a TD pic.twitter.com/q3m6jcHuik
— SyedSchemes (@syedschemes) November 14, 2021
Meanwhile, the Patriots' defense basically pitched a shutout after the opening drive, and the running game is going with anyone back there thanks to great execution up front. Trent Brown seems close to be playing a full game at right guard.
Now, it looks like the passing offense is joining in.
Guess Jones was on to something after last week's loss.
"Hopefully, as I become more experienced and stuff, we'll be able to click even better, and I think that will happen in the near future," Jones said then.
So ... he meant Sunday. Ok, then.
Despite not getting off my 11-6 prediction and that this team would come together in the second half — it was only a matter if they were still above water by then — I wasn't ready to believe quite yet that this team had arrived. There was too much that was off in the previous three games, and the opponents were not all that scary.
The demolition of the Browns, that was impressive and complete. The Patriots left no doubt, and you could hear the puckering coming from Upstate NY. The Bills knows the Patriots are coming, and they are cursing the schedule maker who left both matchups until December.
The postseason push is officially on now. With Jones back in a groove, anything is possible.