Patriots QB Mac Jones and teammates express hope for 2022 season

While the Patriots suffered one of their worst playoff defeats during Bill Belichick’s time in Foxboro, the players remained hopeful for better things to come next season.

Following the 47-17 thrashing by the Bills Saturday night in Buffalo, the Patriots licked their wounds, but did their best to provide a positive spin for 2022.

Rookie quarterback Mac Jones, for one, struck an optimistic chord about the future.

“There’s a lot to look forward to and be positive about and learn from,” said Jones. “There’s nothing to hang our heads on … there’s nothing to feel sorry about. It’s just a learning experience to get better for next year.”

Jones started just fine in his first playoff game, and during the Patriots opening drive had the offense moving toward a score when Micah Hyde made a great play to step in front of Nelson Agholor and pick off a ball right before hitting the end zone.

Jones finished with two picks, but also threw a pair of touchdown passes. He believes he can only get better.

“For me, obviously, I was a rookie. I played like that sometimes, and I shouldn’t have. I can play better,” he said. “That’s my goal this offseason, is just to advance and bring the guys along with me. Because we have great players, all around me. I know we have a lot of progress to make, and I’ll just feel more comfortable with anything you do a second-time around.”

Captain Matthew Slater, while admitting the Bills “thoroughly and soundly outplayed” the Patriots, was proud of how the team played during the year, along with the strides it made from a non-playoff year last year.

Slater, who just completed his 14th season with the team, didn’t want to speculate on his future, but thought the Patriots were in good hands going forward, especially with Jones at the helm.

“I think the future is bright for this organization with that young man,” said Slater. “Not just his play on the field, but the man that he is, the character that he possesses. He’s the type of man you hope to build around.

“I know my kids and I will be watching him for a long time to come. I’m excited about where this organization is going to be in the future with him. It’s certainly been an honor for me to play alongside him, and see him grow over the course of the year. But Patriots Nation, they should be excited about having No. 10 as their quarterback.”

Slater also said it’s important to have perspective. What the team accomplished the past two decades, winning six championships, was the exception to how things go in the NFL. The reality of the league doesn’t lend itself to having that kind of sustained success.

Defensive captain Devin McCourty, whose future is also uncertain, also thought the Pats, who finished 10-7 during the regular season, took a step in the right direction.

“We made strides this year coming off last year, did some things well during the season, it just didn’t finish the way we needed to finish,” he said. “That’s how the NFL is. The teams that are playing good ball at the end, find ways to win, and usually keep it going. We just didn’t do that.

“We’ll have a lot of time to think and see why it didn’t go the way we wanted it to after the bye week. We’ll have to process that all offseason.”