The Patriots called quarterback Mac Jones — and almost one-quarter of their roster — questionable to play Monday night against the Bears. Jones is recovering from an ankle injury that opened the door for a rookie to shine.
Jones was limited in practice Saturday for the third-straight day. If he can’t go, Bailey Zappe would start in his place for the third week in a row. The first-year player from Western Kentucky has won the two games he started, almost beat the Packers in relief and has a 111.4 passer rating this season.
The Bears have been preparing for both quarterbacks, coach Matt Eberflus said after Saturday’s practice. He said it would be a greater challenge if one was a running threat and the other was not.
“They’re a similar style, so it’s really one in the same,” he said.
The Bears studied Zappe’s tape the last three weeks — but also from college, where Eberflus said he was an accurate passer from the shotgun.
When healthy, Jones has been the starter ever since the Patriots drafted him No. 15 overall — four spots after the Bears took quarterback Justin Fields — in 2021.
Eberflus succeeded in defending Jones last year. In a December victory, his Colts defense held Jones to a pedestrian stat line: 26-for-45 for 299 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 74.2 passer rating.
“For a young player, he’s got really good poise in the pocket, delivers the ball on time, he’s very accurate, he’s tough,” Eberflus said. “He’s done a lot of good things. Obviously, his last year as a rookie was amazing. So he’s a great talent.”
Clean health
Saturday marked the third-straight day that the Bears’ injury report included not a single player.
“It’s been 13, 14 years in the league now, I don’t know that I’ve ever at that before at this time of the year,” Eberflus said. “We’re certainly fortunate. We’re excited about that. It really goes down to the players before practice, after practice, taking care of their bodies, [and] our performance staff.”
It’s an encouraging turn for Eberflus, whose intense practices could have been responsible for in-practice injuries to cornerback Jaylon Johnson and linebacker Matt Adams in Week 3. Eberflus shortened practice leading up to the Bears’ Thursday night game after looking at the tracking software that measured players’ speed in practice and games.
“I thought it worked out well,” he said. “I thought the guys were playing hard. I thought they were healthy, and that’s what you want.”
Harris will play
The Patriots listed a whopping 12 players as questionable, including tackle Isaiah Wynn (shoulder) and receivers Nelson Agholor (hamstring) and Kendrick Bourne (toe). More notable, though, was running back Damien Harris having no injury designation after missing last week’s game with a hamstring problem. Harris is averaging 4.5 yards per carry this year.
He’ll share time with the bruising Rhamondre Stevenson, who is averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
“They have two guys at the running back position that are a yin and a yang,” Eberflus said.
