Mac Jones Denies Losing New England Patriots' Locker Room

Mac Jones is pushing back against the narrative that he's lost the trust and support of the New England Patriots' locker room.

Mac Jones wants to assure New England Patriots fans that the only losses he's endured this October are the five that currently linger on the official Foxborough ledger.

That's still far further than anyone associated with the Patriots (1-5) should be comfortable with but Jones says that the team will at least stay intact from a mental standpoint as they press through an increasingly wayward season.

"I have a lot of respect for the guys on our team," Jones said during a radio appearance on WEEI's Jones & Mego with Arcand on Monday. "I’ve been with these guys for, some of them, three years, and some of them I played with in college or whatnot. I do feel like I have a lot of respect from the guys."

Jones and the Patriots put up a much more valiant fight on Sunday than they did over the prior two weeks, but moral victories are no form of currency in the NFL. Facing several New England alumni, the Patriots dropped a 21-17 decision to the Las Vegas Raiders in Sin City. New England (1-5) at least forced viewers to pay attention for the whole game this time around after dropping consecutive interconference matchups to Dallas and New Orleans by a combined 69 points.

There's legitimate doubt around Jones' status as the Patriots' franchise quarterback but he believe he hasn't lost the locker room / USA TODAY SPORTS

Another loss, however, likely, won't do much to justify Jones' continued prescience under New England center. Jones managed to stay on the field for the whole game ... the fact that's a sign of progress no doubt being a damning message on the state of the Patriots ... and he completed at least 70 percent of his passes (24-of-33) for the first time since Week 2's loss to Miami. 

But Jones was responsible for another costly turnover, turning a potential scoring drive into an interception for Tre'von Moehrig. Las Vegas scored on the ensuing possession, forcing the Patriots to spend most of the second half trying to erase a two-possession deficit.

There are growing signs that the Patriots are planning for life after Jones: calling up a preseason fan favorite like Malik Cunningham is the move of a team that could give a wild card like the undrafted rookie thrower a chance when all is truly lost. New England also had a strong contingent watching the Pac-12 aerial battle between Bo Nix and Michael Penix on Saturday. The latter bolstered both his Heisman and College Football Playoff chances by guiding Washington to a 36-33 victory over Oregon.

The football gods are doing Jones no favors, as the next two weeks feature matchups against those who have succeeded New England as the class of the AFC. Buffalo visits Foxborough on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) before the Patriots head south to face the Miami Dolphins the week after. 

Third-season struggles haven't prevented Jones from embracing the reliable locker room tropes, namely the one concerning control over the controllables. 

“I don’t focus on that stuff,” Jones said of the growing outside noise, which should only amplify after a loss to a Patriot-packed Las Vegas group. “I really just focus on showing up to work every day, trying to be positive, really just working hard and finding out answers to the test. There are a lot of things that will pop up, and my goal is to figure out, how we solve those problems.

“It’s all about problem-solving, and we just have to continue to do that. Every week is different. Obviously, there’s a lot of things we need to do better.”

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