This old tweet from Mac Jones might be the reason why the Patriots choose to pass the ball only three times against Bills
How Mac Jones was protected in inclement weather Monday night was something we've never seen before in the NFL. Jones threw a mere three passing attempts, in contrast to 46 rushing attempts.
Bill Belichick's plan to limit turnovers worked and the New England Patriots won 14-10.
But outside of wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour, there could be an additional reason for the conservative game plan. An old tweet from the Patriots quarterback resurfaced ahead of the game Monday.
In 2015, Jones said he'd never seen snow before, which astonished many who saw the tweet.
I have never seen snow 😳
Mac Jones' old tweet could be the reason for Patriots throwing just three passes against Bills
Mac Jones was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. His geographical location explains why he'd never seen snow as of 2015.
He attended college in Alabama, which also rarely sees snow.
Playing for the Patriots means you're going to have to play in games with snow. Luckily for Jones, the snow from pregame warmups had concluded by the time of kickoff.
Rather than playing in the snow, the Patriots and Buffalo Bills played in harsh winds.
We've gone full snow globe on the field here in Orchard Park.
#Bills #Patriots https://t.co/aNRgAArTwY
Belichick's game plan of rushing the ball a ton worked as well in the winds as it would've in the snow. Jones won't always have the luxury of being protected like he was on Monday.
But due to the significance of Week 13's game, Belichick went with a conservative approach, which worked to perfection.
For as good as the Bills run defense has been this season, they had no answers for the Patriots. Damien Harris had an electrifying 64-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that set the table for the Patriots to pound the rock 46 times overall.
Even after Harris left the game due to an injury, Rhemondre Stevenson and Branden Bolden ran tremendously well. Whether it was first, second, or third down, the Patriots were confident in their game plan to run.
Mac Jones and the Pats made history tonight 😆 https://t.co/F2MsVltQsQ
Mac Jones has done everything the Patriots could've asked for this season and then some. Statistically, Week 13 didn't do him any favors in his offensive rookie of the year race. But he and the Patriots got the win, and winning is what Jones does best.
Jones doesn't need to be a gunslinger like Patrick Mahomes or an electrifying athlete like Lamar Jackson. With Belichick's coaching winning games, Jones just has to follow the game plan laid in front of him.
The Patriots are 9-4 as a result and enter their bye week as the hottest team in football.