There’s been a whole lot of talk about Mac Jones and whether he would remain the New England Patriots starting quarterback over Bailey Zappe after he returned from a high-ankle sprain.
Bill Belichick answered that immediately ahead of Monday night’s Week 7 outing against the Chicago Bears, announcing that Jones would indeed get the start over the rookie.
About that? Jones opened the game 3-of-6 passing for 13 yards with an absolutely brutal interception as Chicago took a 10-0 lead over the Patriots in New England.
We’re really not sure what Jones was attempting to accomplish with this pass. Throwing the ball off your back foot and into a whole host of defenders is not a recipe for success at any level, let alone the NFL.
Prior to suffering a high-ankle sprain back in Week 3, Jones led the NFL with five interceptions. He had regressed big time from a rookie season that saw the former first-round pick out of Alabama look every bit the part of a franchise quarterback.
With Jones sidelined, Zappe has done his thing to help the Patriots. They entered Monday night’s game 2-0 with Zappe under center while outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 67-15. For his part, Zappe completed 75% of his passes for 497 yards with three touchdowns and one interception during that span.
Related: Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe and the Patriots’ QB controversy
Mac Jones clearly struggling as a sophomore with the New England Patriots
If you listened to the crowd in New England when Zappe replaced Jones inside Gillette Stadium Monday evening, you know full well that Pats fans were pushing for him to get the start over Jones. It’s the latest representation of just how much Jones has fallen out of favor within the fan base.
- Mac Jones stats (2021-22): 67.1% completion, 4,600 yards, 24 TD, 19 INT
As for Zappe, he proceeded to complete each of his first three passes for 54 yards and this touchdown to Jakobi Meyers to put New England on the board.
It’s certainly going to be interesting to see how things unfold in New England. For now, Jones simply isn’t a popular figure within either the organization or the fan base. The same thing can’t be said for Mr. Zappe. That’s for sure.