In a hard-fought battle that saw the New England Patriots secure their first victory of the season, quarterback Mac Jones navigated through a harsh Jets defense and even harsher weather.
Jones statistics don’t jump off the paper (15-29, 201 yards, 1 touchdown), but he played smart, mistake-free football and led the Patriots to a much-needed win.
One of the highlights on the game was a heated scuffle that broke out between Jones and the Jets defense.
Despite his quiet off-field demeanor, Jones is known as a fierce competitor who isn’t afraid to talk trash and mix it up with defenders.
This particular sequence involved Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley body slamming Jones, followed by cornerback Sauce Gardner shoving him to the ground as he was rising to his feet.
DIRTY HITS: #Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley body-slammed #Patriots QB Mac Jones completely out of the blue and then while Jones was trying to get up Sauce Gardner shoved him to the ground
😳😳😳
DISGUSTING BEHAVIOR from these NYJ defender pic.twitter.com/fuQYBM1t7i
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 24, 2023
After the game, Gardner claimed that Jones hit him below the belt, causing Sauce to react the way he did…
“He’s trying to stop me from having kids in the future.”
Sauce Gardner says he had to ice up after Mac Jones' hit:
"He's trying to stop me from having kids in the future" 😭 pic.twitter.com/B1WvKk1UVI
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) September 24, 2023
If true, it wouldn’t be the first time Jones has been accused of a “dirty” play.
For what it’s worth, Gardner played a poor game and had been talking semi-trash during the week about Jones and the Patriots offense which he called “simple.”
You have to imagine Jones used that as bulletin board material and entered the must-win game with an extra chip on his shoulder.
Somewhat surprisingly, there was no flags thrown during the scuffle. That was refreshing to see. Let the boys play, after all.
Having said that, you couldn’t help but notice that not too many Patriots came to Jones’ defense. Those that did didn’t seem like they were ready to throw down.
Of course, they’re taught excessively by Bill Belichick to not draw stupid penalties. However, everyone knows that there always has to be stern consequences for taking a cheap shot at your quarterback.
There are rumbling that Jones isn’t the most beloved teammate. Perhaps this was an indication that that’s true.
Either way, the Patriots picked up the much-needed win. The final score was 15-10, but Randall Cobb nearly came down with what would have been the game-winning touchdown on the final play.
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson’s desperation Hail Mary attempt was deflected and bounced towards Cobb, who just couldn’t secure it.
Speaking of Wilson, he is obviously the main storyline with Gang Green. After another miserable performance, fans are dying for a quarterback change.
There’s rumors that both Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz have reached out to the Jets to express their interest in joining the team.
Veteran QBs Matt Ryan and Carson Wentz have both reached out to the #Jets expressing interest in joining the team, per @JayGlazer.
The Jets, however, are looking to stick with Zach Wilson for now. pic.twitter.com/6wVg89SjSA
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 24, 2023
Head coach Robert Saleh reiterated the team’s commitment to Wilson after the game.
With the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs up next, thing’s are getting uglier and uglier for Gang Green.
What do you think about the Jets sticking with Wilson?
What would you do? Sign Ryan? Wentz? Maybe Nick Foles?
How about giving backup Tim Boyle a shot?
Regardless, you can bet that Mike White wished he stayed in New York. The Jets would undoubtedly be his team right now.