Patriots Mac Jones is proud of how Jakobi Meyers has responded since blunder against Raiders Jakobi Meyers has faced harsh criticism this week. Mac Jones likes the way he’s handled it.
Jakobi Meyers made a mistake when he caught the lateral from Rhamondre Stevenson and proceeded to throw the ball in Mac Jones’ direction on the final play of New England’s loss to Las Vegas on Sunday.
The play ended with Jones on the wrong end of a stiff-arm and the Patriots on the wrong end of one of the most embarrassing plays in franchise history.
And Meyers has owned it. He hasn’t shied away from the criticism. He took questions at his locker right after the game and vowed to learn from the mistake.
It’s the kind of accountability that Jones appreciates, the quarterback told reporters on Wednesday.
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“Just proud of the way he’s responding,” Jones said. “That’s what football is all about. Sometimes when things don’t go your way, you just have to bounce back. I definitely look at him as a great leader on our team. So he’s setting a great example. Now we’re just getting ready for this big week. He’s done a good job.”
Jones said that Meyers is a routine oriented person, similar to how he is. He said that routine hasn’t been changed much by the heavy criticism Meyers has faced this week.
“We just, no matter what happens the week before, we’re running the same schedule,” Jones said. “I see him at the same times every day, and on the off day, everything. So, he’s a very routine person. He’s not going to let results affect his performance. He’s going to grind and do whatever he can to help the team like he’s done since he’s been here.”
On the other hand, Jones has been getting attention for his emotional responses during games in recent weeks. He was asked if he feels that he needs to be more careful so it doesn’t seem like he’s showing up the coaches.
“I think it’s a big part of the game, playing with passion and emotion. I think the best players on every team do that,” Jones said. “You can’t let it affect your next play, that’s the biggest thing. Which it hasn’t. It’s all about fixing the things that pop up in a game, right? So sometimes when they’re reoccurring, we just want to fix them and move on to the next play. That’s something that definitely – that’s who I am and that’s how I’ve always been. I want to just be a great teammate however I can be and be a leader too.”
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Jones said that the biggest thing about his frustrations is wanting to get the details of the execution correct, which the Patriots have struggled with this season.
He still has plenty of work to do on improving his body language and outbursts.
“You want to show positivity as well,” Jones said. “When we do things well, I try to do that. We want to do more things well and try to fix the things that we’re working through. That’s all you can do. It’s a game. It shows that you care. I think we have guys that care on our team. I definitely care. So that’s important to me. “