Patriots

Here’s what Bill Belichick, Mac Jones said about facing Tom Brady next week

"We're just going to focus on learning from the tape."

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones throws a pass to New England Patriots wide receiver Nelson Agholor. AP Photo/Mary Schwalm

By Tom Westerholm

September 26, 2021

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Bill Belichick, Mac Jones, and the Patriots have done their best to douse the firestorm of media interest regarding their Week 4 matchup against Tom Brady in Foxborough, but after Sunday’s 28-13 loss to the Saints, they no longer have a buffer.

Previously, the Patriots could always point to their next opponent as their focus. Now, presumably, their focus is finally on their former superstar quarterback and his juggernaut team. As Belichick is fond of saying, the Patriots are “on to Tampa Bay.”

Right?

Maybe not.

“Right now we’re just focused on New Orleans,” Bill Belichick said after Sunday’s game. “Look at the film, make the corrections on that, then we’ll move on.”

Mac Jones offered a similarly vague — albeit much longer — answer.

“I think we’re just going to focus on learning from the tape,” Jones said. “I think that’s most important. It definitely stinks to lose, but you can learn from it, and it definitely eats away at you when you lose, but you’ve got to learn and move on. That’s what a lot of the older guys were telling me, just keep my head up.

“Obviously, no one likes to lose here, and the Patriots have done nothing but win for a long time. We’ve got to get back to that. It just happens through everyday grind, everyday work, and not focusing on the results. Play each play. Play each day one day at a time. If we can do that, then I think we’ll see progress, and we’ll just go from there.”

Jones threw the first three interceptions of his NFL career on Sunday.

Brady and the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers started the season 2-0 and once again look like one of the strongest teams in the league. They took on the Rams — another unbeaten team — on Sunday afternoon and trailed by seven just before halftime.

The Patriots and Bucs kick off at 8:20 p.m. on Sunday.