Throughout the NFL, for every position on a team, there are statistics for literally everything. Quarterbacks seem to face the most crucial of those, as basically everything they do is measured in some way, shape, or form, including teams they have played, beaten, or not yet faced.
Sometimes, given how the schedules are made, a quarterback will face the same teams outside of their division more often than others (i.e., the Patriots facing the Broncos and Chiefs A LOT during the last few years of the Tom Brady era). While the others have the luck of lining up across different teams every season.
That has been the case so far for Mac Jones.
Now that he enters just his third season in the league, there are only ten teams he has not played against since signing with the Patriots. Some of those will be crossed off this season, while others will remain until at least 2024.
But who are those ten teams?
Denver Broncos
Speaking of teams that will be crossed off this year, the Denver Broncos will be visited by the Patriots on Christmas Eve this season, which happens to fall in week 16. It will be a big Sunday Night Football game to watch, as both the Broncos and Patriots intend to have bounce-back seasons from forgettable performances in 2022.
Most win/loss predictions likely have this as an easy win for New England, given how poorly Russell Wilson specifically played last year. But it will be the ultimate test for Jones as he deals with the elevation for the first time in his professional career.
Depending on who you ask, the altitude change in Denver can be game-altering for visiting teams. Because they're not used to the difference in the air, players have found it more challenging to perform their best when playing the Broncos.
Hopefully, that won't be the case for Jones and the Patriots.
Detroit Lions
The Lions were on the schedule last season, but after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Ravens in week three, Jones missed the opportunity to face off against Detroit.
Similarly to the Broncos, the Lions are another team hoping to become competitive again. But the most significant thing separating them from Denver is they hope to take advantage of the loss of Aaron Rodgers from the division, a massive win for the rest of the teams in the NFC North.
That could become more of an issue whenever Jones and the Patriots are set to take on the Lions, which could be as soon as next season. If not, then they are on the docket of opponents for 2026, which means they could face a much stronger Lions team than what they are now.
Green Bay Packers
Due to the ankle injury last year, Jones didn't play in Green Bay either. Instead, Bailey Zappe was tasked with beating the Aaron Rogers-led team after backup quarterback Brian Hoyer was ruled out with a concussion in the first half.
The rookie made it a much better game than most anticipated, taking the Packers to an entire overtime period and losing by just a field goal.
Since the NFC North is not a division the Patriots are facing this year, Jones will have to wait to cross the Packers off his list of teams, as well.
Kansas City Chiefs
Unfortunately, the reigning Super Bowl Champions are an opponent that will be coming to Foxboro in week 15 for Monday Night Football this year.
Although it will allow Jones to play against an accomplished and difficult opponent on top of one that he is yet to play, it's not a game that most Patriots fans will look forward to for the simple expectancy of being beaten badly.
Maybe New England's defense will be able to slow down the likes of Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, as they have in the past. But the Chiefs don't often stumble, so this game is unlikely to be one that any Patriots player or fan is looking forward to.
Los Angeles Rams
Another opponent that Jones will have to wait to face as the Rams will be erased from the list of teams he is yet to meet when they come to Foxboro next season.
They are also a team in flux right now, despite having won the Super Bowl just two years ago. They're dealing with questions at quarterback after going all in on Matthew Stafford, a head coach and legendary defensive player contemplating retirement, and a long list of free agents next offseason.
By the time they come to New England next year, they may look like a completely different team, but the same can be said about the Patriots, with question marks surrounding Jones' long-term future as the Patriots' quarterback.
That could be good or bad, but we'll just have to wait and see.
New York Giants
The Patriots are set to welcome the Giants to Gillette Stadium during the 2027 season, and a lot can happen between now and then.
The question regarding the future of Jones as the quarterback for the Patriots may be answered this upcoming season and could keep him tied to the team as the starting quarterback through his rookie contract.
But come the 2025 season, who knows what will happen?
Maybe Bill Belichick will retire. Perhaps Jones will sign elsewhere in the league. Change is inevitable in professional sports, making attempting to predict anything pointless. So Jones will have to wait to square off against the Giants for the foreseeable future.
Philadelphia Eagles
Well, we know the Patriots are facing the Eagles in week one of this upcoming season. So that will be another opponent Jones can check off his list.
Like the game against the Chiefs later in the year, facing Philadelphia on opening weekend is sure to be anything but a cakewalk. Even though they fell to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl earlier this year, the Eagles are an absolutely stacked team on both sides of the ball.
From Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown to Fletcher Cox and Haason Reddick, they are most certainly not a team to sleep on.
It will be a true test for the Patriots right out the gate, and unfortunately, it will be a game played in front of the returning Tom Brady, who will be honored at halftime for his legendary career in New England.
San Francisco 49ers
Since several years of future opponents are already known, Jones will visit the 49ers sometime next season.
Like other teams mentioned, San Francisco is going through some intriguing changes due to moving on from longtime quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. We are yet to see who they will go with when the season starts next month, Trey Lance or Brock Purdy, which could prematurely provide some insight into how the Patriots may fare when facing them next year.
Seattle Seahawks
With the NFC West on the list of divisions to face in 2024, Jones will finally play the Seahawks whenever they come to town next season.
Seattle has undergone some incredible changes over the last few years, starting with the trade of Russell Wilson during the 2022 offseason. Fortunately for them, they were able to be successful with veteran Geno Smith under center and return to the playoffs after missing the postseason a year prior.
With D.K. Metcalf and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba signed through the next few years, on top of an ever-evolving defense, the Seahawks are getting back to the identity they had during their Super Bowl runs in 2013 and 2014.
But Jones doesn't have to worry about that just yet.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders are a team that is definitely not feared at this point and doesn't appear to be changing that any time soon.
After a disastrous experiment with Carson Wentz last year, followed by letting Taylor Heinicke walk in free agency, Washington now has three quarterbacks vying for the starting spot leading up to this season, one of which was drafted by Belichick in 2016.
The Patriots will have the Commanders in town for a week nine matchup and could ultimately take on that quarterback, Jacoby Brissett. But as much as New England fans liked him and has had a decent career to this point, he's not the type of quarterback that worries defenses, especially one as stout as the Patriots right now.
Since Jones will be able to check off Washington from the list of opponents he hasn't faced, he will have just six teams remaining at the end of the 2023 season.