The Patriots were down 11 to the Saints when they came out of halftime on Sunday, but it didn’t take long for that deficit to grow.
Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second half and the Saints never looked back in what turned out to be a 28-13 victory. The pass from Mac Jones bounced out of tight end Jonnu Smith’s hands before Jenkins reeled it in and Smith said on Monday that the miscue was all on him.
Smith said Jones threw a catchable pass and that he has “to make that play that I know I can make and that I will make when the opportunity presents itself.”
“You know I got to have a certain level of honesty with myself in the mirror, man,” Smith said, via Justin Leger of NBCSportsBoston.com. “But the great thing about it is I have another opportunity. I didn’t put my best product and myself out there yesterday. I know that, the whole world knows that. But, you know, I know the player I am, I’m confident in the player I am, and I’m just looking forward to moving forward.”
Smith signed a four-year, $50 million contract this offseason, but only has 10 catches for 74 yards through the first three games of the season. Getting more from him in the weeks to come would make life easier for Jones and the offense as a whole.
