3 stats that prove Mac Jones is unquestionably the best QB from 2021 draft

In a hyped quarterback class that featured elite recruits like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields going off the board early, the New England Patriots may have ended up with the best quarterback from the 2021 NFL Draft class in Mac Jones. After all, he’s the only one who has his team in prime playoff position.

While Lawrence and Fields have been saddled with some incompetent coaching staffs and surrounding offensive pieces, Trey Lance has spent most of this year on the bench. Zach Wilson has been so putrid that a career backup in Mike White and what’s left of Joe Flacco have looked much better.

Jones, meanwhile, has completed 70% of his passes and thrown for 16 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. After a 2-4 start, the Patriots have won their last six games. Jones’ quality quarterback play during his rookie season, in tandem with a terrific defense, helped New England bounce back after last season.

Jones is without question the best rookie quarterback in this class. The numbers he has put up simply defy belief, as they go far beyond what every other rookie in the 2021 class has been doing in their debut seasons.

3 stats that show how good New England Patriots QB Mac Jones has been.

3. Wins on Wins

The Patriots aren’t asking Jones to throw bombs down the field 45 times a game, but his ability to distribute the ball quickly has become a centerpiece of the New England offensive attack. Jones has been able to execute Josh McDaniels’ game plan, and it’s helped the Patriots dominate their opponents.

New England has won their last three games by 20 or more points, all with Jones under center. The only other time in NFL history this feat has been pulled off with a rookie quarterback was when Russell Wilson did it with the Seahawks in 2012. If Jones’ name is already in that tier, that’s pretty solid.

The Patriots have found a formula for success with Mac Jones.

Early in the season, the Patriots wanted to keep the passing game as simple as possible for Jones to get him comfortable. Now that he has proven he can lead an NFL offense to wins consistently, Belichick is gradually letting him use his arm more. The new array of pass-catchers have benefitted from Jones’ newfound confidence.

While the rook has a lot of work to do before his name can be mentioned in the same breath as Wilson, the fact that both of them managed to start their NFL careers in such dynamic fashion is certainly an encouraging sign for a fanbase looking to find their next great quarterback in the post-Tom Brady era.

2. Passer Rating Beast

While most rookie quarterbacks will turn the ball over with regularity in the NFL as they try to figure out what they can and can’t get away with, Jones has largely managed to avoid those first-year mistakes. This has helped his passer rating skyrocket, making him the most consistent of the five first-round rookies despite lacking a superstar wide receiver.

Jones already has six games this season with a passer rating of 100 or greater. How many do all other first-round quarterbacks in this class have? Zero. Zilch. None. Many of Jones’ rookie classmates rank at the very bottom of the league in several key passing categories.

Mac Jones is outperforming his rookie classmates.

To be fair to his competition, Fields has dealt with some horrendous coaching in Chicago and Lawrence is trying to overcome a mountain of dysfunction in Jacksonville. Lance has been glued to the bench, and Wilson missed a month due to a knee injury. Jones is in the best situation of the five, but he’s taking advantage.

Jones may end up setting the rookie completion percentage record, which is currently held by Dak Prescott, if he continues playing like this. While his classmates are struggling to throw more touchdowns than interceptions in a given start, it’s becoming a surprise when Jones turns the ball over at all.

1. November Dominance

November has been a great month for Jones, as he’s completing 77% of his passes with seven touchdowns against two interceptions. Considering those numbers include a subpar performance against Carolina, it goes to show how deadly he’s been as of late.

Jones is leading the NFL in completion percentage and passer rating in November, beating out names like Jimmy Garoppolo, Kirk Cousins, and Aaron Rodgers. All of the haters who critiqued his downfield passing need to know that Jones’ yards per attempt is also the best in the league.

Mac Jones is playing his best football in November.

As silly as it may sound, a quarterback who was born and raised in Florida and went to school in Alabama had to answer questions about his ability to play in the frigid cold of Foxborough. While he still has December and January to go, the early returns have been very nice.

Jones is getting better with each passing week, and the Patriots have devised a formula that has helped them beat some elite teams on the back of his arm. With two games against the Bills and a matchup against a tough Colts team coming up, we’ll get to find out how historically good Jones’ rookie season can be.

3 stats that prove Patriots are Super Bowl contenders

For anybody questioning whether the New England Patriots are Super Bowl contenders, these three stats prove they should be taken seriously.