Jaguars' Doug Pederson commends Mac Jones' play, adds QB will sometimes 'revert back to his Patriot ways'

For the better part of the past two decades, "The Patriot Way" was a slogan linked to the prestige of buttoned-up championship play by the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick-led Patriots. However, it has recently been coined in a more negative sense, which is a testament to how far the franchise has fallen over the last few years. 

One of the reasons for that fall from grace, including a 4-13 campaign in 2023, was the deterioration of former first-round quarterback Mac Jones. Once thought to be the signal-caller who could claw New England back to contention, the Alabama product struggled and was ultimately traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason to serve as a backup to Trevor Lawrence. This preseason, however, Jones has played well, including in the win over Atlanta on Sunday where he threw for 113 yards and a touchdown. 

As his new head coach, Doug Pederson noted postgame, though, that Jones sometimes regresses into "his Patriot ways." 

"Mac has played extremely well the last couple of weeks and really has bought into what we do," Pederson said, via NFL.com. "He'll still revert back to his Patriot ways every now and then and we got to remind him he's in Jacksonville, but he's done a good job. He's done a good job managing and running the offense, getting everybody involved. He sees the field well, throws a good ball, so he's done a good job."

Of course, that's no outright dig at the Patriots franchise, but something of a Freudian slip that highlights the organization's fall. During his tenure in New England, Jones struggled with decision-making, which was on display Friday night mixed in with some of his strong play. On his first pass of the game, he threw a dangerous ball that could've been intercepted by the Falcons. However, he followed that up with strong play down the stretch, including this nifty touchdown throw to Elijah Cooks before the half.

Given the presence of Lawrence, Jones can continue to develop as the backup in Jacksonville, and if they are able to correct some of the habits he added in New England, the Jaguars could have a deep quarterback room going forward.