Bill Belichick generated the beginnings of a Patriots quarterback controversy when he benched starter Mac Jones for rookie Bailey Zappe early in the second quarter of Monday night’s game against the Bears. The decision proved to be in vain as New England dropped a 33–14 clunker at home, but the question of which signal-caller will lead from behind center moving forward looms large.
After the loss, which dropped the Patriots to 3–4 on the year, Belichick maintained that the switch to Zappe was not based on Jones’s health or poor performance through the first few drives. Instead, he suggested that the plan was always to play both quarterbacks in the game.
Regardless of the pre-arranged plan, Jones admitted that he didn’t play well enough with the opportunity he was given.
“I definitely wanted to play better and I’ve just got to do better at my job,” Jones said during his postgame press conference. “That’s all it comes down to and that’s all I can control and, honestly, we’ve got a good chance here to go against the Jets and that’s what I’m already focused on. I’m going to put my best foot forward. I’ve been in this situation before and I’m just going to try to help the team, and whatever my role is, I’ll be ready and I’ll give it 100 percent.”
Jones, who hasn’t played since Sept. 25 due to a high ankle sprain, said he was well-aware of Belichick’s plan to play two quarterbacks, but wished that he’d performed better to start the game.
The 2021 first-round pick finished the contest having gone 3-for-6 for 13 yards and an interception.
"I think Coach Belichick had a really good plan for us. I understood the plan and what was going to happen ... and the timing is the timing. We were on the same page, and there's no hard feelings or anything," Jones said.
“I wish I played better when I was in there… We definitely want to play better as a team and we’re gonna go that. We’re all gonna work together and put our best foot forward.”
Though Belichick and Jones seemed to be on the same page, some of the other Patriots players sounded surprised by the switch. It certainly didn’t sit right with other members of the team when the home crowd began chanting Zappe’s name during Jones’s early-game struggles.
“That’s the NFL for you. It’s a fast-changing business,” wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said. “It’s tough, as a man, to see someone who works so hard get that kind of treatment.”
“But at the end of the day, we’re all trying to feed our families,” he added. “We have to make plays no matter who’s throwing [the ball].”
Meyers added that he believed that the entire scene, including the fan reaction, made for an “ugly situation,” and not just Jones’s benching by the coaching staff.
After the game, Belichick was asked which quarterback will be the starter moving forward. He declined to do so, allowing for further speculation which will certainly follow the team this upcoming week in practice.
The Patriots will need to have an answer by next Sunday when they go up against the Jets.
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