New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones understands the importance of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he’s trying to make sure the rest of the team understands it as well.
Jones and the Patriots will be looking to start a two-game winning streak, as they come back from Arizona following a 27-13 win over the Cardinals. The second-year quarterback passed for 235 yards on Monday, as the offense continued to find its footing.
Now, they’ll turn their attention towards a Raiders team that suffered a narrow loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14.
Sunday’s game carries heavy playoff implications for both teams, which has led to an extra vocal Jones standing up and stressing the importance of taking care of business on the road. It’s pretty obvious his teammates are receiving that message loud and clear.
“I’m not going to lie to you, obviously we’re chasing a result this week,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said, via NESN’s Zack Cox. “You ask what’s going to make this a successful week, it’s going to be winning the game. But I think in order to do that, it’s going to be about preparation, and Mac said it (Wednesday) — trying to keep our routine as close to normal as possible. Whether it’s on the practice field, in the meeting room, recovering.
“We’re not on vacation, and it’s easy to fall into that when you’re away from home. So hopefully we do all those things and they translate to the game on Sunday.”
These next couple of weeks will be anything but a vacation.
The Patriots launched themselves back into the playoff race as a result of Monday night’s win. Now, they look to secure a victory over Las Vegas and get closer to cementing themselves firmly in the playoff picture.
