How Mac can lead Pats to first win

While Mac Jones looked good in his debut, 16 points isn’t going to cut it. In the big picture, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels can only take a conservative game plan so far, especially in a passing league.

At some point, he really has to loosen the reins on Jones and open up the playbook. Sunday against the Jets figures to be the day for that with Jones dueling fellow 2021 first-round pick Zach Wilson.

The Jets’ soft secondary sets up as an ideal opponent should McDaniels decide to get a little more creative with his play-calling.

Though Jones only scored one touchdown, he still impressed with his ability to handle a variety of blitzes, along with his accuracy, decision-making and toughness in the wake of getting popped while delivering passes.

He went 29 for 39 for 281 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in the Miami loss.

Still, there’s progress to be made.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” Jones said Wednesday. “We just got to focus on what we need to get better at. That’s kind of, for me, just fundamentally, what can I do each day extra, or whatever, just to improve so that when I get to the game, we play fast, and we play better than we did last week.”

Here’s how Jones can earn his first win against the Jets: