One of the biggest storylines surrounding the New England Patriots this season has been whether Mac Jones is the right man for the job under center for the storied franchise, as he has done nothing but regress after making the Pro Bowl in his rookie season with the team.
After a brutal stretch heading into Week 12’s showdown with the New York Giants, the Patriots coaching staff decided that enough was enough when it came to Jones, as the team chose to bench him after he threw two interceptions.
The team chose to turn to Baily Zappe, who didn’t do much better, if at all, as he also threw an interception without a touchdown pass against the Giants.
Only running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott were able to produce something offensively, with the duo combining for 144 rushing yards and a touchdown on Sunday against the Giants on the road at MetLife Stadium.
After yet another disappointing loss this season, Jones spoke to the media and opened up about being benched by offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien via Zack Cox of NESN.
“Coach O’Brien told me I was out, and I understood. I wasn’t moving the ball,” Jones said.
Mac Jones: “Coach O’Brien told me I was out, and I understood. I wasn’t moving the ball.”
Said he felt like he was prepared, but the product on the field hasn’t been there. pic.twitter.com/FW5vD4M2tD
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) November 26, 2023
With the Patriots finally making the move to bench Jones, it’ll be interesting to see if they move forward with Zappe as their starter, even though he didn’t play well after taking over for the one-time Pro Bowler.
At this point, the Patriots aren’t really playing for much other than draft position, as the team will almost certainly be looking at bringing in one of the quarterbacks set to come out of the college game.
