National Football League

Did Cam Newton's absence open door for Mac Jones to become starter?

Published Aug. 26, 2021 2:25 p.m. ET

A few weeks into his tenure in New England, Mac Jones is already accomplishing something Tom Brady couldn't: dominating the New York Giants.

Ridiculousness aside, all reports out of Wednesday's Patriots-Giants joint practice are that the rookie Jones isn't carrying himself so much like a rookie.

According to reports, Jones completed 35 of 40 pass attempts Wednesday, including 18 in a row at one point.

Jones' great performance comes on the heels of him taking first-team reps in practice every day this week after presumed starter Cam Newton was sidelined for five days due to NFL COVID-19 protocols.

And for Patriots insider Tom Curran, a frequent guest on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd, the job should now belong to Jones.

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Newton and the Pats had a "misunderstanding," as the team outlined it, after Newton left the New England practice facility Saturday for a medical appointment and did not satisfy league testing requirements.

Regardless, in Newton's time away from the team – he returned Thursday – Jones was on fire, and the quarterback competition between the two seems to be at its peak.

Is Jones now the favorite to start for New England? And would it be fair for him to be given the position due to Newton's absence?

When asked this week, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was coy, as is tradition for the veteran coach. He said, "I don't have a timetable on that" when asked when he will announce the team's Week 1 starter, and said, "I'm not sure how that will go" when asked if the decision could come soon.

Classic "Hoodie."

On Thursday's "Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe said that whether Jones wins the job or not, he's now firmly in the discussion after Newton opened the door for him to get first-team reps.

If Jones does assume the starting role, it wouldn't be the first time in NFL history that a guy took advantage of an opportunity when the guy in front of him was absent for some reason.

Former Pro Bowler Greg Jennings outlined this phenomenon on Thursday's version of "First Things First."

Probably the most famous example of a player being usurped on the depth chart actually happened in New England, when Tom Brady took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe back in 2001 and never looked back.

Two other starting QBs in today's game also got their chance when the first stringer was unavailable. Dak Prescott took over for the Dallas Cowboys when Tony Romo injured his back during the third preseason game back in 2016. And the Baltimore Ravens turned to Lamar Jackson when Joe Flacco hurt his hip in Week 9 of the 2018 season.

As the season inches closer – New England will host Miami on Sept. 12 to kick off their 2021 campaign – the starting QB picture will become clearer across the league, including for the Patriots, no matter how much Belichick might try to avoid it.

But for now, Mac's attack on Cam's spot seems to be unrelenting.

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