New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick opened the door to a second quarterback controversy this season in typical fashion on Wednesday.
After seemingly curing the ills of the early season with a three-game win streak that included two victories over rivals the New York Jets, the Patriots are reeling again in 2022. They have lost three of their last four and are coming off of an absolutely nightmarish loss in Week 15 against the Raiders. As the Patriots’ offense literally threw away the game in the final seconds of regulation.
However, beyond Jakobi Meyers’ blunder that will be talked about for years, the New England Patriots’ passing game struggled mightily again. And Mac Jones putting up career-worst numbers in yards, completion percentage, passer rating, and quarterback rating were overshadowed by the last-second loss.
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One person who did not overlook Jones’s poor play again at QB was Belichick, and today he seemingly opened the door to a switch at the signal-caller spot sooner than later.
New England Patriots could make a switch at QB in final 3 games
At his weekly press conference on Wednesday, Bill Belichick was specifically asked by a member of the media if Mac Jones will be his starting QB for the rest of the season. And in classic Belichick fashion, the head coach seemed to answer the question by not answering it at all.
“Yeah, the plan is to try to beat Cincinnati … There’s always things that everybody can improve on every week. Just point those out in the film and try to correct them. That’s players, coaches, every position, that’s what it always is.”
– Bill Belichick (via Pro Football Talk)
While that certainly doesn’t mean Jones will be benched this week, a simple “yes” to the original question would have gone a long way. Considering the fact that the team did not rush Jones back into the lineup after Bailey Zappe played well at points earlier this year in relief, it sure seems possible a second QB controversy is brewing in New England.
- Mac Jones stats (2022): 2,310 passing yards, 7 TD, 8 INT, 30.7 QBR
Jones has taken a major step back in his performance in 2022 with his completion percentage, passer rating, and quarterback rating all down from his rookie season last year.