Tua Tagovailoa happy for Mac Jones, commends NFL debut performance

The New England Patriots played host to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon in what could be the most-watched NFL 2021 regular-season game in the state of Alabama, as the Patriots’ 2021 NFL Draft first-round pick — former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones — faced off against his Crimson Tide heir to in Tua Tagovailoa.

Tagovalioa, selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, enters his second season as the Miami Dolphins’ starting quarterback. Jones, on the other hand, made his NFL debut on Sunday.

Tagovalioa and the Dolphins had the last laugh on Sunday; the southpaw completed 15 of 27 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception, ultimately beating the Jones-led Patriots 17-16. After the game, Tagovailoa expressed his excitement for Jones, his former teammate, as he made his NFL debut.

“I was happy for him,” Tagovailoa said of Jones. “It being his first real game with a crowd like this, I thought he made some really good throws. And their execution on third down I thought was really good. Mac looks like he fits perfectly into their offense and their system. So, I was happy for him.”

Jones had a solid NFL debut, despite the loss. As Tagovailoa pointed out, the Patriots offense converted 11 of 16 third-down attempts — far better than the Dolphins, who converted just four of 11 — and Jones was a big reason for that success. He completed 29 of 39 pass attempts for 281 passing yards, along with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Jones, Tagovailoa and Alabama roots

Tagovailoa made a name for himself at Alabama in just over two seasons as the starting quarterback. He first came in after an injury to then-starting quarterback Jalen Hurts — with Jones one step behind Tagovailoa on the depth chart — and led a come-from behind victory in the 2017 national championship game. Coming on at the half, he threw a game-winning 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith, and the Crimson Tide beat the Gerogia Bulldogs 26-23. Tagovailoa would later finish his Alabama career with almost 7,500 passing yards, 87 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes.

Jones, by comparison, had only one season as the Alabama starting quarterback, but he certainly made the most of it. Jones in 2020 set an NCAA single-season record with a 77.4 completion percentage, coupled with 4,500 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He won the national championship with Alabama and was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2020 (Jones ultimately lost to his teammate, wide receiver DeVonta Smith.).