Mac Jones says he was ‘not surprised’ by the speed of the NFL game

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had one play where he truly looked like a rookie. His first dropback was a mess, with the 23-year-old fumbling the ball and tight end Jonnu Smith recovering it.

Once Jones and the Patriots got past that play, the quarterback began to look like a veteran, putting together the highest completion percentage (74.4%) of any rookie quarterback making their first NFL start (among players with more than 25 pass attempts). He didn’t throw any interceptions with 281 yards and a touchdown. Had Damien Harris avoided a fumble with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, New England probably would’ve won.

Jones was asked whether he was surprised by the speed of the NFL game.

“Not surprised or anything, but yeah, it’s definitely faster, but you know, it kind of slows down when you get more reps and stuff and hopefully each week,” he said on Wednesday. “Obviously some guys around me have played for like five, six, seven years, so they’re used to it, and I didn’t feel like out of place or anything, but definitely can improve on just being quicker and helping them move quick to just push the tempo and all that stuff. They obviously know what to do every time, and you know, I do too, but I just need to do it faster and more consistently.”

Jones and the Patriots, who committed eight penalties for 84 yards in Week 1, will have a chance to correct their mistakes as they prepare for the New York Jets in Week 2.

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