New England QB Mac Jones Gets First TD. Doesn't Keep The Football. Here's Why.

It's tradition.

You net your first NHL goal, you keep the puck.

You slug your first hit in the MLB, you keep the baseball.

You throw your first NFL touchdown, you keep the football.

Rookie New England Patriot QB Mac Jones showed a lot of potential in his first pro football game against the Miami Dolphins.

There were some opening drive jitters, which almost resulted in a turnover after a fumble.

But as the game went on, Jones gained confidence.

Jones finished his first NFL start completing 29 out of 39 throws for 281 yards and one touchdown.

The Patriots came up short, falling to the Dolphins, 17-16.

Jones drove the Patriots to the red-zone 4 times on Sunday, and on one of those visits he hooked up with Nelson Agholor for a 7-yard touchdown pass, pulling the Patriots ahead of the Dolphins 10-7 with 2:30 left in the 2nd half.

Agholor went to hand Jones the ball, figuring he'd like to keep it as a piece of memorabilia, then this happened:

😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/hruZXG4RSZ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 12, 2021

Jones didn't want the football.

But don't worry, this isn't some display of football snobbery. Jones had a post-game explanation for his moves.

That doesn't really matter. It's one touchdown. We've got to score more. It's not like the game was over right there. We gotta do better in the red zone and get more touchdowns. And we will.

It seems like he's inherited some of coach Belichick's personality. He was simply "Doing his job." Another day at the office. It's not about the individual, it's about the team.

Mac is not wrong. In 4 trips to the red zone, this was the only Patriot touchdown.

And their 4th and final trip to the red zone ended with a Damian Harris fumble at the 9-yard line, allowing the Dolphins to regain possession and run out the clock.

Let's see if Mac & the Pats can nab their first win this Sunday when they take on the New York Jets.