The Third Act.

[Soapy]

whats gonna be the harris-white-stevenson split?

I don't have a number split in mind, moreso situationally with Harris being the feature back, White the receiving back and Stevenson likely a mix of both since he showed some good hands in the preseason as well as at the goal-line with his size.

Don't sleep on J.J. Taylor either, might start phasing him into that Dion Lewis esque role.

The speed that you got this out

they dont call me the goat for no reason.

.500 season

8-8-1 would be the most impressive record of all time.

[mvp]

taylor > gunner in the kr game for sure

cant wait for all the cheesy "mac daddy", "mac attack", etc. lines in this

[Soapy]

taylor > gunner in the kr game for sure

cant wait for all the cheesy "mac daddy", "mac attack", etc. lines in this

mac and cheese ah ah ah

[KimJongBaze]

Best 1st round pick the Patriots have made since Chandler Jones.

[Soapy]

Best 1st round pick the Patriots have made since Chandler Jones.

that boy good!

just waiting on the madden title update (scouting) and we off

[Soapy]

Mac Jones impresses in debut, but New England Patriots fall to Miami Dolphins
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones turned in a stellar performance in his NFL debut Sunday, but a late fumble by running back Damien Harris at the Miami Dolphins' 9-yard line ended what could have been a go-ahead touchdown drive, as New England fell 17-16 at Gillette Stadium.

Jones finished 29-of-39 for 281 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. The 281 passing yards are the most by a Patriots quarterback in his first career start, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

"I think we can get better; that's just how we have to look at it. Definitely wasn't good enough, starting with me," Jones said.

When the Patriots took over at the 50-yard line with 8 minutes, 7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter on a Jonathan Jones interception, the stage was set for some late-game magic that fans previously became accustomed to watching Tom Brady from 2001 to 2019.

But Harris had the ball stripped away from him by Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard at the 9-yard line with 3:31 left, and Howard also recovered it.

The Dolphins converted two first downs to run out the clock.

"Damien's obviously very disappointed, but it doesn't go all on Damien," said Jones, who was also teammates with Harris at Alabama. "There's a lot of things I could have done to be better, to not even be in that situation, take some bigger chunk plays."

It was a stunning turn on a day in which Jones met the expectations that arrived with him after the Patriots selected him with the 15th overall pick in this year's NFL draft.

He threw his first career touchdown pass late in the second quarter, a 7-yard connection to receiver Nelson Agholor. One of the themes of the day was Jones' production under duress, as he was 8-of-12 with the touchdown when facing pressure, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

He led three drives of 14 plays, but they all ended in field goals. The lone touchdown drive covered seven plays and 54 yards, and when Agholor attempted to hand him the football to keep, Jones didn't want it.

"It doesn't really matter; it's just one touchdown," Jones explained after the game. "We have to score more. It's not like the game was over right there. We gotta do better in the red zone and get more touchdowns. And we will."

Rookie quarterbacks had been 6-0 under coach Bill Belichick in their first career starts. Jones' debut was highly anticipated in New England, with the crowd rising to its feet as he took the field in warm-ups while the song "Mr. Jones," by Mike Jones, played.

With Jones and the Patriots facing Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, the matchup marked the first time two Alabama quarterbacks started against each other in the NFL since 1993.

"I was happy for him," said Tagovailoa, who finished 16-of-27 for 202 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. "It being his first real game, with a crowd like this, I thought he made some really good throws. Mac looks like he fits perfectly into their offense and system."

Jones said offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had a simple message for him entering the game.

"[He] told me, 'Just enjoy the day. You'll never play a rookie-year opening game again.' But that's not how I wanted it to go," Jones said.

This is the second straight season the Patriots lost an AFC East game on a fumble in field goal range. Last year, they trailed the Bills 24-21 at the Buffalo 19 before QB Cam Newton fumbled with 37 seconds left.

The Patriots finished Sunday with four fumbles, losing two. The last time they had four fumbles in a season opener was Sept. 5, 1993, in a 38-14 loss to the Bills -- the day first-round quarterback Drew Bledsoe made his NFL debut.

[Soapy]

Mac Jones, New England Patriots win with short passes, but eye downfield strikes
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- There was a notable contrast from the New England Patriots' 25-6 win against the New York Jets on Sunday.

While the Jets want rookie quarterback Zach Wilson to learn that "it's OK to play a boring game of football," one of the questions asked to Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones was essentially why the passing offense was so boring by not throwing more down the field.

Jones handled it in stride by saying: "I think it was just me. I can push the ball down the field more. I can definitely hold the ball in a good way, just maybe move, and make a better throw down the field on a lot of plays."

Before diving into the specifics, the bottom line is most important: In the legendary words of longtime coach Herm Edwards, "You play to win the game." And Jones did that on Sunday, playing smart, protecting the football, and complementing a defense that totaled four interceptions -- a couple that were Wilson-wrapped gifts.

Jones finished 22-of-30 passing for 186 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. In a season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins, which could have been a win if not for running back Damien Harris' costly late-game fumble, Jones was 29 of 39 for 281 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions.

That makes Jones the first quarterback with a 70-plus completion percentage in each of his first two NFL starts (minimum 10 pass attempts).

Part of what has contributed to that is his willingness and discipline to take what's there, or in the words of Jets coach Robert Saleh, play a boring game of football.

Consider that Jones ranks 29th out of 33 qualified quarterbacks in air yards per attempt (5.3), according to ESPN Stats & Information. Only Andy Dalton (Chicago Bears), Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons), Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers) and Jacoby Brissett (Miami Dolphins) have fewer average air yards per attempt.

Furthermore, Jones has attempted seven passes on running back checkdowns. That is the second-most in the NFL behind Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill (11), according to ESPN Route Metrics/NFL Next Gen Stats.

In many ways, what has unfolded is a Coaching 101 class in carefully bringing along a touted rookie who is learning on the job, instead of experiencing the benefits of learning behind the scenes for a year as the Kansas City Chiefs notably did with Patrick Mahomes in 2017.

But at some point, and that might come as soon as the next two weeks with the New Orleans Saints (1 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting Gillette Stadium, the Jones-led Patriots offense will need to show it can create more stress for defenses down the field.

That was noted by Jones after Sunday's game.

"For the receivers, they played well and I need to get them the ball more. And I will. We'll get the ball out and let them make plays, because we have good skill players," he said. "I can definitely stick to my reads better, and I think it starts with me."

Teammates, however, want to ensure that Jones doesn't change his approach to appease an external narrative. In fact, staying true to himself is part of what has endeared him to them over the past five months.

"Mac's been consistent on just Mac being Mac," said safety and longtime captain Devin McCourty. "He's not trying to do too much. He's not trying to be somebody that's created by the media. He just comes in and does his job and I thought he did a great job of that [Sunday]."

[Soapy]

Winston has 2 TDs, Saints pick Jones 3 times in 28-13 win
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- — Only one brand of football comes to mind when Jameis Winston thinks about the best New Orleans Saints teams of the past.

"Saints football has always been efficiency and physicality up front," he said. "That's all I know. They win up front and they play tough. That's what we did here."

Winston threw two touchdown passes, Malcolm Jenkins returned an interception for a score, and the Saints beat the Patriots 28-13 on Sunday. New England is 0-2 at home for the first time since 2000, Bill Belichick's first season as coach.

A week after a career-low passer rating Winston showed better command of the offense, completing 13 of 21 passes for 128 yards. Taysom Hill ran for a touchdown and Alvin Kamara rushed 24 times for 89 yards and had a receiving TD. He got support from a defense that made Patriots rookie quarterback's life miserable.

Mac Jones entered the day hoping to stretch the field after two games in which the passing attack was mostly underneath. Instead, he found himself under pressure for most of the day and threw three interceptions, two leading to Saints touchdowns. New Orleans sacked Jones three times and hit him 11 times. He finished 30 of 51 for 270 yards and a touchdown.

"I think it just goes back to execution," Jones said. "I can do a better job just sticking to my reads and being patient and letting things develop. I didn't do a good job of that today."

Saints safety P.J. Williams returned Jones' first pick of the day 46 yards to set up a 7-yard TD pass by Winston in the second quarter.

Jenkins was the beneficiary of the second INT, snaring a pass bobbled by tight end Jonnu Smith. He returned it 34 yards and put the Saints in front 21-3.

The Patriots cut it to 21-13 following Jones' 22-yard TD pass to Kendrick Bourne with 9:22 left in the fourth period. The Saints responded with a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 6:45 and ended with at 4-yard run by Hill.

Saints coach Sean Payton harped all week on the Patriots' impressive 108-7 record at home (including playoffs) since 2000 when they win the turnover battle. He said having a plus-3 differential Sunday was huge.

"We're mindful of it every week, but it had to be something that was put in our heads every day," he said. "I thought we took care of the football. I thought that was important."

New Orleans overcame an early injury to take a 14-3 lead into halftime.

The Saints' offensive line was already down one starter with center Erik McCoy (calf) ruled out. They lost another early in the first quarter after left tackle Terron Armstead exited with a left elbow injury.

But after going three-and-out on their opening drive, the Saints got efficient, sweeping down the field mixing runs and passes, and a long third-down conversion to get inside the red zone. Winston then put a bow on the 11-play, 69-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kamara.

The Saints turned defense into offense for their second score.

The Patriots had third down near midfield when linebacker Kaden Ellis pressured Jones, forcing a pass that was tipped and intercepted by Williams. He returned it 46 yards to the Patriots 9.

Three plays later Winston connected with Marquez Callaway for a 7-yard touchdown.

"There's no magic sauce here," Belichick said. "Just have to go back to work and do better."

[Soapy]

Tom Brady beats Patriots in New England return, 19-17
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- — Tom Brady brought two decades of touchdown passes, victories and championships to New England.

He returned and reminded his former team what they're missing.

Brady rallied the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-17 victory over the Patriots on a rainy Sunday night, with Ryan Succop hitting the winning 48-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.

Brady was 22 of 43 for 269 yards with no touchdowns, but engineered the fourth-quarter drive to beat the team he led to six Lombardi trophies. Ronald Jones added an 8-yard scoring run for defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay (3-1).

Brady said the Patriots made them earn the win on an emotional night for him.

"It's not that I would predict what would happen," Brady said. "There were a few emotional moments thinking about the people that meant so much in my life. My football journey took me somewhere else."

Brady broke Drew Brees' NFL career passing yardage record and became the fourth quarterback with victories against all 32 NFL teams, joining Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.

"In crunch time when we needed a field goal, he got us down the field," Bucs coach Bruce Arians said. "He wasn't going to make any mistakes that cost us the game."

New England had a chance to win, but Nick Folk's 56-yard field-goal try hit the left upright with less than a minute to play. The Patriots are 1/3 for the first time since 2001. Bill Belichick dropped to 8-12 since Brady left New England.

"The Bucs won this game," Arians said. "Everyone wanted to make this Brady versus Belichick. I don't think Bill took a snap."

Belichick said nothing Brady did surprised them.

"We went against Tom Brady every day, every day in practice defensively," Belichick said. "So it's not like we've never seen Tom Brady before."

Patriots rookie Mac Jones finished 31 of 40 for 275 yards and two touchdowns.

"I have a long way to go, and I just try to put my best foot forward every day, and we all want to win," Jones said.

The Buccaneers were hurt by multiple mistakes on defense and spotty special teams play — marked by poor punts, a missed early field goal and costly penalties.

But Tampa was able to come up with timely plays to stay in the game, including Antoine Winfield Jr. forcing a fumble by J.J. Taylor that was recovered by Richard Sherman — playing his first game since signing a one-year deal last week — to thwart a promising drive early in the third quarter.

Down 17-16, Brady and the Buccaneers took over on their own 25 and needed just seven plays drive to the Patriots 30. After Antonio Brown failed to hang onto a pass in the end zone Succop calmly connected on a 48-yarder with 2:02 left.

Leading 7-6, the Patriots punted and Matt Slater appeared to recover a fumble by Jaydon Mickens. But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Slater negated the play.

The Bucs took over and finished an eight-play, 52-yard drive with an 8-yard scoring run by Ronald Jones.

The Patriots responded on their next possession, using six straight completions by Jones to drive to the Bucs 1. Jones then found Jonnu Smith in back of the end zone for to put the Patriots back in front 14-13.

Tampa marched to the Patriots 8 on their ensuing drive before being forced to settle for Succop's third field goal to make it 16-14.

New England took back over with 7:58 left in the game and quickly moved down the field, getting into the red zone on a trick play that ended with receiver Jakobi Meyers throwing a 30-yard pass to Nelson Agholor. The drive stalled there and the Patriots nudged back in front 17-16 on Nick Folk's 27-yard field goal.

Brady was welcomed with cheers during the pregame before taking the field to a stream of boos on the Buccaneers' first drive of the night.

Some cheers returned on their second offensive series of the night when he completed a 28-yard pass to Mike Evans to surpass Brees's mark of 80,358 yards to become the NFL's career passing leader in the regular season.

The pass helped set up a 29-yard field goal to put the Bucs in front 3-0.

Tampa Bay's defense dialed up the pressure on Jones on the Patriots' next drive. Linebacker Devin White got a free run at Jones up the middle, forcing him to hurry a pass that was tipped by Ross Cockrell and intercepted by Winfield.

The Patriots made the mistake moot, stopping the Buccaneers on third down just inside the red zone. The Buccaneers attempted another field goal, but this time Succop was wide right from 36 yards.

[Soapy]

Patriots use late field goal to get 25-22 win over Texans
HOUSTON -- — Trailing on the road in the fourth quarter, the New England Patriots needed Mac Jones to deliver on Sunday.

The rookie came through, throwing a touchdown pass to tie it before Nick Folk's 21-yard field goal with 15 seconds left lifted the Patriots to a 25-22 win over the Houston Texans.

The game was tied at 22 before New England (2-3) used a 15-play, 85-yard drive capped by Folk's fourth field goal of the game to take the lead. The drive was kept alive when Maliek Collins was flagged for roughing the passer on third-and-18 early in the possession.

Houston rookie Davis Mills threw an incompletion after Folk's field goal before Brandin Cooks fumbled after a catch to seal New England's victory.

Jones tied it when he connected with Hunter Henry on a 13-yard touchdown with about nine minutes remaining.

"Mac has been good for us all year in terms of his leadership and resilience," coach Bill Belichick said. "We are counting on him to do the right thing, and he's doing it on a high level."

Jones threw for 231 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Patriots ended a two-game skid.

"Sometimes you have to find a way to win," said Jones, the 15th overall pick in the draft. "It feels better to not play as well, but win and learn at the same than play OK and end up losing. So the win feels good."

Jones completed 23 of 30 passes to give him 135 completions this season and tie Cincinnati's Joe Burrow for the most completions by a rookie quarterback in his first five starts in NFL history.

New England center David Andrews raved about the poise of Jones down the stretch.

"What a great win for him," Andrews said. "What a great win for this football team. We needed it."

Mills threw for a career-high 312 yards with three touchdowns to bounce back from last week's terrible performance where he tied a franchise record with four interceptions.

"Davis protected the football," coach David Culley said. "He was very good in the pocket and ran our offense very well. We knew going into the game, the most important thing to do was be able to protect the football and he did that."

But he was unable to move the ball late as the Texans (1-4) lost their fourth straight after beating Jacksonville in the opener.

"You don't want to lose football games ever, so it's a harsh feeling," Mills said. "But the guys rallied together. We (played) how we wanted to a lot during that game, and we can learn from that and find ways to win."

Belichick continued his success against rookie quarterbacks, improving to 23-6 in those games.

Mills threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Chris Conley on a flea flicker early in the third to extend Houston's lead to 22-9.

The Texans made an embarrassing mistake later in the third when Cameron Johnston's punt bounced off the back of teammate Terrence Brooks for zero yards, giving the Patriots the ball at the Houston 36. New England took advantage of the mistake when Folk made a 52-yard field goal that cut the lead to 22-12.

Folk added a 32-yard field goal later in the third to get the Patriots within 22-15 and the Texans missed a 56-yard field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter.

Mills looked good early as the Texans capped an 18-play drive that took 10 minutes with an 11-yard TD pass from Mills to Antony Auclair. Ka'imi Fairbairn, who made his debut last week after opening the season on injured reserve, missed his first extra point attempt of the season to leave Houston up 6-0.

Damien Harris took a direct snap in the wildcat formation and ran 1 yard for a touchdown for New England early in the first and Nick Folk missed the PAT to tie it at 6-6.

The Texans regained the lead when Chris Moore, who was promoted from the practice squad Saturday, made a leaping catch to grab a short pass and dash for a 67-yard TD. Fairbairn missed again to leave Houston up 12-6.

It is the second time in franchise history that the Texans have missed two extra points in a game and the first since Fairbairn also missed two in a 27-20 loss to the Falcons on Oct. 6, 2019.

The Patriots had a chance to tie it after that, but Harris fumbled near the goal line, and the Texans recovered it.

The teams exchanged field goals after that, to leave the Texans up 15-9 at halftime.