"Young carbon copy of Tom Brady" - Brett Favre backs Patriots QB Mac Jones to dominate his peers
New England Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones has exceeded expectations so far this season with a string of gritty performances under head coach Bill Belichick. The No. 15 overall pick has successfully outsmarted his counterparts and is now tipped to be the best rookie quarterback in the history of the NFL.
In fact, legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre, too, was in awe of the 23-year-old star. After all, the Patriots (8-4) are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now, sitting in the No. 2 spot in the AFC behind the Baltimore Ravens (8-3).
Is Mac Jones the next Tom Brady? Brett Favre thinks so
On his latest SiriusXM NFL Radio show, the Hall of Famer heaped praise on Jones' steady play and even compared him to arguably the best quarterback in the NFL, Tom Brady.
Favre said:
“It’s premature to crown anyone, a team or player at this point in the season, but, I mean obviously coach (Bill) Belichick and Josh McDaniels and the organization chose Mac Jones for a reason,” Favre said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “The way he plays, being ready instantly and not making many mistakes. Really, sort of a young carbon copy of Tom Brady. And it’s obviously way premature to say he is the next Tom Brady, but he plays a lot like him.
Jones has proved to be the most effective rookie quarterback from the 2021 NFL draft class so far this season. Statistically, Jones also leads his peers — 2,850 passing yards and 16 touchdown throws. Jacksonville Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence ranks second best with 2,369 yards and nine touchdowns.
Mac Jones is the best rookie QB. Reason why? He’s throwing a catchable pass 85% of the time…
That’s the best in the ENTIRE league.
Interestingly, Jones has thrown a catchable pass 85% of the time this season. Forget about topping the 2021 NFL draft class by a mile, this statistic ranks him highest among all NFL quarterbacks. Against the Tennessee Titans in Week 12, Jones had a 71.9 completion percentage — his third consecutive game with at least 70% pass completion.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have won six games in a row, with an offense led by the first-year quarterback. Favre complimented Jones' achievements so far:
“He’s an intellectual player, and is not going to beat you with his feet, but his mind and his arm and his pocket presence. He has all those tools. And the team, quite frankly, in all phases is playing exceptionally well and we know they’re well coached, but a lot can happen between now and the end of the year.”
Another mind-boggling statistic to note is that Jones has a 65%+ completion percentage in 10 games. That's more than any other elite quarterback and two games ahead of stars like Tom Brady and Dak Prescott. Did we mention he's a rookie quarterback?
Most games with 65%+ comp pct this season
Mac Jones 10
Tom Brady 8
Joe Burrow 8
Kirk Cousins 8
Kyler Murray 8
Dak Prescott 8
People forget. Mac Jones is a rookie. https://t.co/uivKwl0bci
The Patriots had a rocky start to the 2021 NFL season, but with Jones getting into the groove, Belichick's side have bagged wins consistently. The Patriots head into Week 13 with six consecutive wins on the bounce as they prepare for a Monday night matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
Also Check Out: Complete NFL Week 13 TV Schedule