Mac Jones started the first 43 games that he played in the NFL at quarterback for the New England Patriots. Then the Patriots benched him with six games remaining in the 2023 season before trading him in March into a backup role with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Will the former Alabama All-American and 15th selection of the 2021 NFL Draft ever be a regular starter again?

The next three games might determine if he gets that opportunity.

Trevor Lawrence took his final snap as Jacksonville’s quarterback for the 2024 season with four minutes left in the first half of a 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans on Dec. 1. A shoulder injury and a concussion sent Lawrence to injured reserve and started his preparations for the 2025 NFL season.

That’s put Jones under center for the Jaguars for the past two-and-a-half games, with three games remaining on the schedule.

“I think he’s taken each game in stride,” Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson said about Jones on Monday, “and he knows his situation, from a career standpoint, too, and not only helping us win right now, but I think, too, he’s obviously auditioning for a potential spot down the road for maybe another team, something like that. He knows, and he continues to improve, he continues to get better, and it’s good to see him do that. The fact that we were able to put up some points yesterday and play as well as he did is a step in the right direction.”

In the past three games, the Jaguars have scored 33 fourth-quarter points after scoring 50 fourth-quarter points in the first 11 games of the season.

In the loss to Houston, Jones threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns. In a 10-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 8, Jacksonville scored all its points in the fourth quarter. On Sunday, the Jaguars scored nine fourth-quarter points, but the New York Jets scored 15 to come away with a 32-25 victory.

“You watch NFL football, and there’s plays that are made and plays that aren’t,” Jones said after a game, “so as a quarterback, you just want to get the game to the fourth quarter, and we did. Last week, we got down there and won it. This week, we didn’t, and that’s on me, so I know I got to get it to the fourth. That was my plan all along, and (Jets quarterback) Aaron (Rodgers) played a great game, and the Jets defense did a great job, so it’s a Hall of Fame quarterback, and you got to go down there and score as much as you can, turn those threes into sevens.”

Jones threw for 294 yards against the Jets, the third-most for a quarterback during the NFL’s Week 15 games, and his 749 passing yards since taking over for Lawrence midgame on Dec. 1 are the seventh-most in the league this month.

“He played well yesterday,” Pederson said on Monday. “He played well. He played tough. Some good scrambles in there. Played physical. Got a little chippy in there, which is good to see. But I think those two throws, he’d definitely want back.”

After the Jaguars opened Sunday’s game with a 13-play, 70-yard drive capped by Jones’ 3-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville’s next possession ended when New York cornerback Jalen Mills picked off a deep pass by Jones at the Jets 12-yard line.

New York cornerback Sauce Gardner intercepted another deep throw by Jones at the Jets 13-yard line with 37 seconds to play.

“I think, for me, it kind of ruins it because we didn’t win,” Jones said, “and I’m always about that. But at the same time, I’ve been very hard on myself in the past, and my goal is to finish this year strong and see where it takes us.

“And I’m bummed. I’m disappointed because we were in that game. And I’m looking at it from a professional standpoint, and what can I do better, and I thought the coaches called a good game, and the players executed for the most part. I just got to make a couple more plays, and we’ll be in a different spot.”

The Jaguars have a 3-11 record. On Sunday, Jacksonville plays a team struggling even more. The Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders will square off at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. After losing to the Atlanta Falcons 15-9 on Monday night, the Raiders have lost 10 in a row to fall to 2-12.

Jacksonville will close the season in AFC South play with a home game against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 29 and a road game against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 5.

“It’s been an up-and-down year,” Jones said after Sunday’s game. “But that’s your job as a backup quarterback, to be in there, get ready to play. You know, we had some guys injured this year, and I felt like the young guys have stepped up and made plays, and to hang with a good team like that, I mean, it was good, but I want to win. Everybody wants to win, and we’re going to find ways to do that these next three.”

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.