Bill Belichick once again benched Mac Jones late in a lopsided New England Patriots loss.
Bailey Zappe replaced Jones in the fourth quarter of a 31-0 game. The New Orleans Saints added three more points to a dominant shutout at Foxborough.
After the game, Belichick told reporters he pulled Jones because of the score. He doesn’t sound ready to move on from the quarterback just yet.
“Yeah, there are a lot of problems,” Belichick said, per the Boston Herald‘s Doug Kyed Certainly wasn’t all him.”
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he pulled Mac Jones because of the score.
Will Mac be the starter moving forward?
“Yeah, there are a lot of problems. Certainly wasn’t all him.”
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 8, 2023
Jones now has 260 passing yards, no touchdowns, four interceptions, and two lost fumbles in back-to-back losses. New England has gotten outscored 72-3 by the Dallas Cowboys and Saints.
Yet Zappe didn’t quite demand an extended audition by completing three of nine passes for 22 yards in Jones’ place Sunday.
Even if Jones isn’t the only problem, he’s certainly done the defense no favors. Even in a blowout, the Patriots limited the Saints to 304 total yards on 70 plays.
Jones is responsible for four defensive touchdowns (three interceptions, one fumble recovery) this season. As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, Jones already matched Tom Brady when throwing his fourth career pick-six at Gillette Stadium.
As of now, it appears Jones will start next Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, the 25-year-old is likely on thin ice as New England continues to spiral.