New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones thorws during practice for NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)AP
GREEN BAY, Wisc. – On Wednesday, Mac Jones admitted that the Patriots offense needed to be more consistent. The team’s play was uneven in their first joint practice session against the Green Bay Packers.
On Thursday, there was nothing inconsistent or uneven about Jones and his offense.
Day 16 of Patriots training camp saw one of the best showings from Jones and his offense. The quarterback was on fire and unlike the day before, his unit didn’t let up on Thursday. Jones finished 14-of-17 against the Packers defense and delivered multiple highlight-reel throws that resulted in his teammates celebrating all over the field. This day marked the most impressive practice of the summer for Jones and arguably his most impressive session of his NFL career.
FanDuel Sportsbook Massachusetts$1,000NO-SWEAT BETCLAIM OFFER21+ and present in participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
Related: Mobile sports betting is live in Massachusetts on FanDuel. Get started with a $1,000 no-sweat bet
Things weren’t perfect as Jones was ‘sacked’ five times on this day, but the quarterback handled the pressure like a veteran. He started practice going 4-of-5 with his one incomplete pass a breakup.
Jones hit a nice stride early and kept up the pace. In the second team period, Jones hit Tyquan Thornton for a 50-yard pass play. Thornton immediately separated from his defensive back and Jones threw a nice ball as the receiver finished the play with a diving catch.
Next up, Jones led a successful red zone drill against the Packers. Here he went 3-of-4 with two touchdowns to Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker. Jones again went 3-for-4 in the next red zone period with completions to Hunter Henry, Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott.
On Wednesday, the Patriots started to come undone around this time. Their 2-minute drill was so poorly executed that Bill Belichick made Jones and his group run a play again. After that, the coach had choice words for his quarterback.
On Thursday, the message was received. Jones was great in the 2-minute drill, going 4-for-4 along with a sack. He started this series off with pass completions to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Stevenson and Henry. After the sack, the offense was backed up to around midfield.
At this point, the Patriots sideline had been trash talking with the Packers secondary. Jones’ final pass play, following the sack, was a perfectly thrown 50-yard touchdown pass to Parker in the left corner of the end zone. That play marked the best pass thrown by Jones this summer and the best offensive play for the Patriots in training camp.
After the officials signaled touchdown, the entire Patriots defense ran onto the field to celebrate. And just like that, Jones’ day ended on a high note – unlike Wednesday. It was an impressive rebound performance for Jones and this group.
Overall, Jones hit eight different targets on Thursday. Smith-Schuster led this group with four receptions. Parker (two touchdowns), Stevenson (two catches) and Henry (two catches) followed.
Bailey Zappe had an inconsistent day on Thursday. The second-year quarterback finished 18-of-27 with two interceptions. Zappe looked red hot to start this contest before a turnover-plagued period set him back.
Zappe started the day going 2-of-3 before putting on a show in the red zone period. Here, the young quarterback went 5-of-5 with five touchdowns. He hit Demario Douglas for two scores and then also connected with Kayshon Boutte, Anthony Firkser and Devante Parker in the end zone.
Zappe was 7-of-8 at that point. However, he struggled in the next period and again in the 2-minute drill.
After his red zone hot streak, Zappe went 5-of-7 with two interceptions to Tyrell Ford and Jimmy Phillips Jr. After his first pick, to Ford, Zappe threw a beauty to Tre Nixon that went for 42 yards and a touchdown. However, he ended that period with the interception to Phillips Jr.
The 2-minute drill was a struggle for Zappe’s unit. He went 7-of-12 with multiple throwaways due to the pass rush. The Patriots offensive line really struggled here and it took some time for Zappe to get his groove back. This unit had a four-play stretch where there were three throwaways and a false start on Bill Murray. It wasn’t pretty.
Zappe’s day ended when he nearly hit Malik Cunningham for a touchdown. The officials said he didn’t get in, but Zappe then connected with Boutte for a touchdown on the next snap.
Cunningham didn’t take any reps at quarterback on Thursday. His reception was his first from Zappe this summer. Douglas starred for Zappe’s unit. The rookie led all Patriots with eight catches (seven from Zappe and one from Jones).
Tracey McSorley went 5-for-5 in his lone period as quarterback.