Advertisement
We spent a lot of time trying to figure out why Jacoby Meyers and Raymond Stevenson did what they did at the final performance on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Mack Jones is ready to move and sees the same desire in Meyers after nearly a week of teasing.
“I think Cobbs is a very routine person, like me,” Jones said Wednesday. “We just, no matter what happens the week before, we’re on the same schedule. I see him every day at the same time and on the weekend — everything. He’s a very routine person and he’s not going to let the results affect his performance. He He’ll do whatever it takes to help the team, as he’s done since he’s been here. He had a really great practice today and I’m proud of the way he responds.”
It would be understandable if Myers was in a shell after what happened in Week 15, or if Stevenson blamed him for throwing the ball when the Patriots needed nothing but downs. Myers, however, didn’t, explaining immediately after the wild finish — he tried to throw a reverse pass to Jones and instead connected with the Raiders’ Chandler Jones, who returned it for a walk for a hit — that he thought it was. Jones was open. He later admitted that trying to shoot was foolish, no matter the target.
Such losses can cause teams to spiral upward. At 7-7, the Patriots can’t afford to go on a slide like that, especially considering they’re still in the playoff hunt.
Credit goes to Myers and Jones, two relatively young players who wear a Patriots uniform but aren’t well versed in the greatness of the Tom Brady-led Patriots era. They still have to find their own achievements and know that their work is not done, even after a crushing defeat.
“That’s what football is all about,” Jones added. “Sometimes when things don’t go your way, you just have to bounce back and I really look at him as a great leader on our team. So he’s setting a great example and now we’re just preparing. He’s done a great job this week.”
From here things get even more complicated. The Patriots begin their final three-game stretch on Saturday in which they face Cincinnati, Miami and Buffalo — the three teams currently ahead of New England in the playoff race. There will be no hard sledding.
But if Meyers finds himself in another moment of desperation, he’ll know better than to throw it back at his quarterback. And he’ll know Jones has his back.
