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By now, it's no secret that New England Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones is off to a great start to his NFL career. Jones' stats are not only the best among fellow rookie quarterbacks, but one of the best among all current NFL quarterbacks.
Meanwhile, everyone has been comparing Mac Jones to his predecessor, Tom Brady. Brady helped create a dynasty with the New England Patriots for the better part of the first two decades of this century.
It's hard to say whether Jones is off to that type of start to his NFL career, but his stats are eerily similar to Brady's at this point.
Mac Jones and Tom Brady have uncanny similarities
Jones is 8-4 through his first 12 NFL starts, and Brady was 9-3. Brady's completion percentage through his first 12 starts was 65%, while Jones' completion percentage is slightly better at 70%.
Mac Jones has thrown for 16 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. Whereas Tom Brady threw 16 touchdowns to ten touchdowns. Mac Jones averages 7.5 yards per attempt and Brady averaged seven yards per attempt.
Could Mac Jones be headed on the same path as Tom Brady?
New England Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones is the clear favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year at this point in the season. Jones has taken a Patriots team that was at the bottom of the AFC East to now lead the team to a six-game winning streak and lead the division over pre-season favorite Buffalo Bills.
Jones is the only rookie quarterback out of the 2021 NFL Draft class to have a PFF grade against the blitz (90.2) over 69. In terms of other rookie stats, the closest is Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback and first overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence, and his stats aren't even close to Mac Jones.
One of the factors helping Mac Jones's confidence is the coaching staff's weekly game plan for him and their confidence that he can make the big plays when needed.
The comparison with Brady is uncanny and gives hope to longtime New England Patriots fans that they may have found their new franchise quarterback, filling the void that was left when Tom Brady departed for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jones does seem to be on pace to match or even exceed Brady's first-year success, but there is still much more football to be played.
