Mac Jones Misses NFL Playoffs, Falls to Bills In Week 18

The 2022 NFL season has seen many former Alabama players make the headlines for various reasons. Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the top of the NFC with Hurts also being a contender for the NFL MVP award while Tua Tagovailoa, despite injury setbacks, played a great season with Jaylen Waddle and the Miami Dolphins to earn the final AFC playoff bid.

While several other former Alabama players have seen varying degrees of success in 2022, the same could not be said about New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who had a rough 2022 season and failed to lead the Patriots to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

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Week 18 saw Jones and the Patriots with one final chance to make the playoffs in a game against an emotionally charged Buffalo Bills team. While Jones seemingly had a good game with 243 yards and 3 touchdowns, late-game turnovers ultimately led to New England's demise alongside 2 kick return touchdowns from the Bills. Jones completed 26-of-40 attempted passes, but threw 3 interceptions.

Patriots fans have been calling for the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Patricia, as they mostly put the blame on him for New England's underperformance during the 2022 season. It is currently speculated that Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien will be taking the job come the 2023 season.

While the fans have put the blame on the offensive play calling, Jones put the blame on himself following the game.

“You want to win every game that you play in. You want to win the tough ones and all that. We didn’t get a chance to do that. As a quarterback, put the blame on me because it’s my offense, it’s my group of guys, and we have to put a better product out there. It starts with me."

While Jones's second season in Foxborough did not end on a positive note, it will certainly be interesting to see how he and his coaching staff will adjust for the 2023 season.