Mac Jones is making the Patriots QB battle against Cam Newton very interesting

Rookie Mac Jones keeps putting in excellent preseason performances to keep the pressure on Cam Newton in the Patriots QB battle.

Just how close is the quarterback battle in New England this preseason? Bill Belichick and his staff will be the ultimate judge, but it sure looks like Mac Jones is keeping it extremely tight with Cam Newton.

Thursday night’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles gave both quarterbacks a platform. Both of them made the most of the opportunities.

Jones stayed in for four possessions and went 13-of-19 for 146 yards. Three of his incompletions were drops by receivers. Another was a spike.

Mac Jones is making things interesting in the Patriots QB battle

Once again, people were impressed with the Alabama star.

The highlights definitely looked impressive enough.

The biggest problem for Jones and his pursuit of the starting job in New England is that Cam Newton is keeping pace.

For all the excitement around the rookie, Newton came through with an even better outing. He went 8-of-9 for 103 yards and a touchdown. His passer rating was 151.4.

The veteran is doing what he needs to do to secure his job. He hasn’t put a foot wrong.

Still, it’s fun to see Jones launch this kind of challenge so early in his career. He’s giving Patriots fans every reason to get pumped about their first-round draft pick. He’s also giving his coaches plenty to think about. The expectation is Newton will be QB1. It’s just not as sure of a thing as it might have been if Jones hadn’t come to play.

Of course, it’s worth remembering these performances came against an Eagles team that doesn’t have much to give in terms of competition. The preseason game got ugly at 35-0.

New England will have one final tune-up game against the Giants next week. It’ll be worth tuning in for with the quarterbacks competing as they are.