Mac Jones and the New England Patriots picked up their second win of the season on Sunday, defeating the Buffalo Bills 29-25.
The dramatic victory was capped by Jones’ late touchdown drive, which he finished off with 12 seconds remaining by firing a 1-yard pass to Mike Gesicki. Gesicki was pulled down in the end zone, but he rolled to his feet and raced to the corner of the end zone performing what could generously be interpreted as the popular Griddy dance. Jones followed him, doing the same.
All due credit to the Patriots, who handed the Bills a shocking loss and picked up one of the biggest wins of Jones’ career to date. The Patriots were considered a potential tanking team, and Jones’ status as the team’s starting quarterback has been a talking point throughout the year.
The Patriots selected Jones with the 15th pick in the first round of the 2021 draft, and while Jones has had some positive moments, the Patriots have high expectations at the quarterback position as they try to rebuild post-Tom Brady.
But we’re here to talk about that Griddy.
Kathryn Reilly/Getty Images
For those who are unaware, the Griddy originated at LSU in 2018 when a friend of Ja’Marr Chase introduced it to him. Chase and then teammate Justin Jefferson popularized it and brought it to a national level.
Jones hit a cleaner version of the dance during the Pro Bowl in 2022, and then again later that year against the Ravens. Sunday’s messier iteration, again, came at one of the biggest moments of his professional career, so maybe he deserves to be cut a little slack.
Unfortunately for Jones, social media is not a place where much slack is cut. “At least Mac tried his best,” wrote JPAFootball.
And shredded saw the lighter side calling Jones’ Griddy the “funniest celebration in the history of sports.”
Owen Kidd was taken aback by the QB’s antics, writing, “It’s not that I expected different from Mac Jones, but what is this attempt at the griddy?”
Patriots Wire went even further, calling it “the worst Griddy ever.”
Jones shouldn’t take the jokes too personally. After all, he put together a masterful performance: 25-for-30 as a passer with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Asked Von Miller about what he saw from Mac Jones:
“He’s getting better. He’s getting better, for sure. I was impressed with Mac. … It still looks like the Patriots of the golden days. Obviously, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski — all those players aren’t there. But they’re still…
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) October 23, 2023
That came on the heels of a three-game losing streak during which he threw five interceptions and no touchdowns.
“I always believe in myself,” Jones told reporters. “I’m not going to sit up here and say it every time. But I do believe in myself and I do that through work and all that stuff[…]You go as your quarterback goes. For me, it’s continuing to be the same guy every day and just be Mac.”
For his part, Gesicki got some credit for his dance from teammates, including tight end Pharaoh Brown.
“I was laughing when he did his dance,” Brown told reporters. “All the way to the sideline. It was great to see the Griddy. It was my first time seeing it live. I was trying to chase him, and he hit the whole sideline, all the way down. It was amazing.”
Apparently, both with the Griddy and with football in general, the expectations are just a little bit higher for Mac Jones.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.