Mac Jones stuck image from Patriots' blowout loss against Bills last season in locker room as motivation
Mac Jones and the New England Patriots surprised the NFL last year after making the playoffs in the quarterback's rookie season. The team had a down year, missing the playoffs by a couple of games in the year following Tom Brady's departure to Tampa Bay.
With a rookie quarterback in tow, most weren't expecting them to challenge like they did. However, Jones helped lead the team to seven consecutive wins and a 10-7 overall record.
This was good enough for a Wild Card appearance against their rivals, the Buffalo Bills. Many figured it might be a good game between the two strong rivals, but the Bills silenced that. The Patriots lost 47-17.
That kind of loss stays with a team, but it appears Jones is taking it personally and using it as motivation.
The photo in question is from Mac Jones’ locker, which appears to be from the Buffalo playoff game and have the score (47-17) written on it.
Daily motivation? twitter.com/kase_cm/status… https://t.co/b32sUkJAZ8
An eagle-eyed fan noticed the photo hanging in the background of an unrelated image. The photo is of the Bills' dominant win and hangs in Jones' locker every day.
@iambrianhines It looks like it's this photo (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald) https://t.co/fbyleJh7rz
Jones isn't satisfied with a Wild Card appearance and wants to use the undoubtedly awful feeling from that game as motivation to never let it happen again. The Bills and Patriots will match up again in Week 12 of this season.
Also Checkout:- Patriots Preseason Schedule
Do the Patriots have what it takes to catch the Bills?
New England is on the rise after retooling their offense last season. After a season in which quarterback Cam Newton struggled to produce without any real weapons on the offensive side, New England revamped their offense.
They brought in Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, and others to help their new quarterback.
This season, they've added DeVante Parker to the mix, so Jones should have an even better season.
Their defense and coaching staff remain among the best units in the league, so it should not be a surprise when they compete once again.
However, is it going to be enough to catch the Bills? That's not as likely. The Bills are one of the league's best teams, so it would take a major injury or drawback to close the gap between them and the Patriots.
Also Checkout:- Bills Preseason Schedule
Anything can happen, but the Bills are still one of football's best teams. Vegas likes them more than any team to win the Super Bowl. The Patriots, by comparison, have the 21st best odds.
Anyone can win and New England can surprise everyone again, but they have a long way to go to catch Buffalo.