@upstater1
You're responsible for me watching a terrible game of football.
My conclusion is that what "anyone who watched Mac yesterday" did not for one moment see a panicking QB.
He threw two interceptions, it's true. The first was on a 3rd-and-16. Yes, it was thrown towards a receiver who was in double coverage. But in those circumstances an interception on a deep ball isn't a disaster -- as good as a punt, some say. Likewise, the interception at the end of the half. His blitz protection had broken down and he was facing a sack that would have taken them out of field-goal range, so he tried to throw the ball away towards one of his receivers when he was already being grabbed. And it was intercepted with 5 seconds left on the clock. Big deal.
I don't know what you mean by "drove balls into the ground from 5 yards away". I only remember him missing a receiver low once. The receiver was about ten yards away and Mac was under pressure. If that's your worst throw, you're having a very good day.
Which he otherwise did.
I couldn't see on the TV if there were often men open downfield whom he missed, but I sincerely doubt it. His short passes were sharp and accurate despite pressure. And the Jacksonville running game was terrible so the Titans were able to put him under pressure.
So don't get it. You're an intelligent person who watches football closely. So why the Mac Jones hate? Is it to try to exonerate Belichick? Yet Mac Jones isn't close to being the worst quarterback drafted even by the Pats over the last several years. That would be Danny Etling ("Etling, you make my heart sing!") but Jared "Interception Machine" Stidham, Bailey "Happy Feet" Zappe, and Malik "Trainee Slot Receiver" Cunningham are also way below him.
My own take, for what it's worth, is that Jones was a very good pick who saved BB's bacon at a time when he had absolutely no succession plan for Brady (Cam Newton!) Josh McDaniels brought the best out of him, and then it all collapsed when McDaniels left and Belichick thought he could coach the offense through his sock-puppets Judge and Patricia. The Greatest Of All Time brought down by hubris! That's an old story.
Note, I'm not saying that Jones would have been better than Maye. He doesn't have Maye's athleticism or super-strong arm. But he can read the game well, make decisions and throw the ball accurately. Jacksonville are lucky to have him and the Patriots would have been much better starting him this season than Jacoby "Nice Guy, Shame about the Football" Brissett.