Patriots Preseason Finale: Mac Jones Playing vs. Titans?

The New England Patriots may opt to sit starting quarterback Mac Jones in their preseason game against the Tennessee Titans due to concerns about his protection by a struggling offensive line.

FOXBORO — As the New England Patriots make final preparations for their preseason finale, one particularly prominent player may have already seen his exhibition season come to an end. 

The Pats, per a Thursday report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss, are giving “strong consideration” to keeping starting quarterback Mac Jones on the sidelines in Friday night’s preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium over concerns about his protection from a makeshift offensive line. 

Despite sitting out the Pats preseason Week 1 matchup with the Houston Texans, Jones looked sharp in his subsequent debut against the Green Bay Packers last Saturday night. He completed 6 of 9 passes for 52 yards, demonstrating solid mechanics and confidence both in and out of the pocket. On the whole, Jones exhibited an ability to complete his reads and extend routes for his receivers; two traits which eluded him last season.

However, Jones also continued to find himself under pressure more often than not. The 24-year-old frequently fell victim to collapsed pockets, forcing him from his comfort zone at times. Unsurprisingly, inconsistencies along the offensive line continued to be the culprit. The Pats starting unit consisted of Trent Brown at left tackle, Atonio Mafi at left guard, David Andrews at center, Riley Reiff at right guard and Sidy Sow at right tackle. Mafi had difficulty holding his positioning, while second-year reserve left tackle Andrew Stueber was easily bypassed by Packers' linebacker Kingsley Enagbare for a strip sack on Jones. Sow also surrendered a sack from the right side. 

New England's struggles along the offensive line have been well-publicized since the start of training camp. For starters, the team's top unit has been decimated by injury; with starting guards Cole Strange (left) and Michael Onwenu (right) having missed the majority of camp practices. While both Onwenu and Strange have slowly begin the process of returning to the field, neither is expected to play against the Titans on Friday. 

The Pats have also dealt with instability at right tackle, as veterans Reiff, Conor McDermott, Bill Murray and Kody Russey getting looks. along with rookies Mafi and Sow. With their practice struggles beginning to seep into game settings, New England must work diligently to correct these issues with the start of the regular season fast approaching. 

They must also be mindful of maintaining the health of their starting quarterback. 

Accordingly, Jones, along with a handful of other notable starters, may be a spectator for this game against the Titans. Having taken nearly double the amount of practice reps as backup Bailey Zappe on Wednesday, the Pats brass will likely decide that they have seen enough from Jones until the regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 10 at Gillette Stadium. In turn, the door may now be open for reserves Trace McSorley and electrifying rookie Malik Cunningham to see a greater amount of action in relief of Zappe, should Jones indeed be held out of action. 

Still, the Alabama product is always ready to take the ball, should his name be called. Just as a starting quarterback should, Jones remains ready to do what it best for the football team — a topic he discussed with reporters at the conclusion of Tuesday's practice. 

"I think around here [New England,] you have to live day-by-day and just focus on the now," Jones said.  "A good team has the end goal in mind, but you can't focus on the end goal without going through the rough stuff. So, you've got to continue to plug along, have good practices and see where it takes you. You just have to go out there and attack each day ... to be ready when the time comes." 

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots

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