A disastrous turnover from Mac Jones received a proper teardown from Fox analyst Greg Olsen on Sunday, as the Patriots quarterback struggled against the Cowboys.
Facing second-and-10 with a 1:08 left in the first half, Jones looked to make a play with New England down, 21-3. Jones, who gave up a fumble for a touchdown earlier in the game, briefly scrambled to his right before firing a pass across his body to the left sideline and into the waiting hands of Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland.
Bland’s well-timed interception easily led to a second Dallas defensive touchdown, prompting Olsen to bluntly explain just how bad Jones’s decision was.
"Late with the ball, across the field. You just can't make that throw!"- Greg Olsen on Mac Jones' pick-six throw vs the Cowboys. 🏈🎙️pic.twitter.com/u4pcBajV5a
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 1, 2023
“We said [earlier in the game] you don’t typically teach quarterbacks to throw the ball back across the field. You know why? Because of that,” Olsen said.
Olsen then added to his critique of Jones with a breakdown of the replay, where the 14-year former pro still sounded in disbelief by the pick-six.
Said Olsen, “Just late with the ball, across the field, you just can’t make that throw! And even if you get away with it earlier, to come back and test those waters again …”
Given Olsen’s reaction and the questionable play in general, Jones could soon find himself in Bill Belichick’s doghouse following what turned out to be a horrible outing for the third-year signal-caller.
As it turns out, Jones’s day would end early as he was pulled for backup Bailey Zappe late in the third quarter. He finished 12-of-21 for 150 yards and two interceptions.