Mac Jones still remembers the October 3, 2021 night at Gillette Stadium like it was its own kind of spotlight. The rookie quarterback had already been in big games, including the national championship in 2021 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, but the Patriots’ matchup with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carried a different kind of charge.
The buildup had everything: a sold-out crowd, a primetime stage and a storyline that had nothing to do with Jones himself. The whole night was framed around Brady’s return to New England and the larger question of Brady versus Bill Belichick, the two figures at the center of the NFL’s greatest dynasty.
Jones, though, saw it from the perspective of a first-year quarterback with no reason to shrink from it.
"That was lit. That was awesome because they were calling it 'the game of the century.'
I just feel like the lead-up was really cool," Jones said on Bussin' With The Boys. "It was a night game, like sold out.
Tickets were going for about four or five thousand dollars, whatever. Everybody was hyping it in the media.
"I try to stay off social media during the season and stuff. So you know, it's all about Tom, Tom and Tom.
And I'm like, '[Expletive], I've got nothing to lose here. I'm just going to go out there and sling it.'
And I did. I played decently well in that stadium.
That was the most electric stadium I've been in because it was a good game, back and forth. They ended up scoring late or whatever.
We really could have won."
The game ended with Tampa Bay holding on for a 19-17 win, with the Buccaneers still fresh off their Super Bowl title. Brady finished 22-of-43 passing for 269 yards, while Jones went 31-of-40 for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Patriots had a chance at the end, but Nick Foles missed a 56-yard field goal attempt in the rain.
Asked whether he had any real interaction with Brady during the game, Jones gave a short answer that fit the moment.
"He stared at me, I don't know," Jones said while laughing.
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