In the post-Brady era for the New England Patriots, many players at numerous skilled positions have come into Gillette Stadium, not had much success, and then split to go elsewhere and find some footing. We’re now three weeks into the regular season, and we’re already seeing it.
As Tom Curran put it on his newest episode of Patriots Talk Podcast this week, “I did want to highlight one interesting trend from around the league that I think Patriots fans will be arrested by, and that is the fact that Mac Jones has reached two wins with the Niners.”
The 15th pick overall in the 2021 draft class felt like a breath of fresh air for a brief time in Foxborough until significant personnel changes took place, thus leading to a lack of confidence on the field. He is indeed doing well elsewhere.
Here’s a quick list of who’s killing it, along with Jones, three weeks into the regular season.
Believe it or not, Mac Jones is 2-0 as the starting quarterback since taking over for Brock Purdy in San Francisco. The Patriots shipped Mac Jones back home to Jacksonville, Florida, where he played one season under Doug Pederson in a Jaguars uniform last season. With no growth in Jacksonville, he ended up on the doorstep of Kyle Shanahan, who has famously been labeled a QB whisperer.
Jones, in two starts as a 49er, has completed 66.3 percent of his passes with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4-1. That’s a far cry from what Patriots fans saw during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Jones is not slinging it down the field but rather managing the game quite effectively. He led a game-winning drive in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals that had fans wondering if the once-Alabama QB actually still has a lot left in the tank.
Peppers got his revenge in Week 3 with the 21-14 win over the Patriots. Not only that, but he was a valuable asset on the field. This was something that many weren’t sure about in the days leading up to the game.
The Patriots cut Peppers back in late August; the move was surprising for many. The safety would play more than half (58%) of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps and force a fumble recovery against his former team, which would aid in solidifying the win. Time will tell how much of an impact Peppers will have on the Steelers’ defense going forward.
Blink and you may have missed John Parker Romo’s stint in Foxborough. Romo was an undrafted free agent who bounced around the league on practice squads from the Saints, Bears, Lions, and Vikings. He even got XFL honors in 2023 by playing for the San Antonio Brahmas.
The Patriots signed him in late 2024, then released him for their new sixth-round kicker, Andy Borregales. Romo got snatched up by the Atlanta Falcons and seems to be doing just fine so far. Romo is 5-for-7 on field goals despite missing a 49-yarder and a 55-yarder in Week 3. To combat that, Borregales is 4-for-6 on extra points and 4-for-5 on field goals.
Tyquan Thornton did at times seem like a diamond in the rough when he was catching passes from Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones. Maybe he needed to team up with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes to truly rise to the top of the NFL.
Thornotn caught only two touchdowns in his 28 games as a Patriot. The turnaround in Kansas City seems almost unbelievable. He’s now three games in and already has two TDs for 171 yards. Who knows what midseason form will look like for Thornton with Mahomes throwing to him? Oh, and to add insult to injury. He replied to a Boston sports fan account the other day, saying, “Thank you for all the hate & doubt!”
We see stuff like this around the league every season. Just ask the New York Giants fan base how they felt last season with Saquon Barkley and even this season about Daniel Jones. The Patriots are looking to move on from the past. Unfortunately, the past still lingers when it’s doing a little better than you are at the moment.
