The moments after Mac Jones first NFL touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor played as a light-hearted moment between teammates. It was a quick game of hot potato, as Agholor tried to handoff the ball to his quarterback, presumably assuming he would want it as a souvenir. It was, after all, his first touchdown as an NFL quarterback.
Jones was quick to hand it right back to his receiver. Agholor passed it right back to Jones as they ran towards the sideline, and Jones quickly dropped it in the hands of Brian Hoyer. He didn't want the ball.
The reaction on the broadcast and on social media in the moment was one of levity, but after the game, a tough 1-point loss against AFC East opponents the Miami Dolphins, Jones clarified what, exactly, was going through his mind.
"It's not really about me. My job is to be the quarterback, and that's to either hand the ball off or throw it," Jones said. "I can do a better job, and everyone else, I thought they played hard, but we can play even harder. We're just going to go up from here."
This attitude only reflects what Patriots fans have seen of Jones in his short time thus far in New England. It's a team-first mentality. After a scrum broke out between the Patriots offensive line and the Giants defense at joint practices last month, the offensive line was reprimanded with a lap. Jones didn't hesitate to join them.
Team-first.
