Did Mac Jones get away with dirty play against Panthers?

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones got away with a dirty play on Panthers pass-rusher Brian Burns.

Jones fumbled in the first half against the Carolina Panthers, in which the New England Patriots were struggling to get anything going offensively. Mac let his frustration get the best of him, it would seem, after his fumble.

That’s a pretty clear grab and twist by the 2021 first-round pick out of Alabama. Jones, a rookie, was bound to make some mistakes against a Panthers defense that includes both Burns and former Patriots All-Pro Stephon Gilmore. The aforementioned Gilmore already got his revenge interception in the first half as well.

Mac Jones: Did he intentionally injure Brian Burns?

It’s unclear if Jones was trying to hurt Burns, per say, but what he did was borderline dirty at the very least. Panthers fans will be quick to argue that Mac had just turned the ball over, making his decision an act of frustration.

There’s no excuse for Jones’ actions, and even if he doesn’t hear from the NFL on the matter, you can expect some of the Patriots coaches and Panthers players to point it out to him.

Burns had 4.5 sacks on the season to that point, and was coming off a nine-sack campaign. Despite Carolina’s bright start to the regular season, they’ve since struggled. The Panthers are fighting for a playoff spot in the NFC, and losing a player of Burns’ caliber isn’t helpful.