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Sunday was a rough one for Mac Jones and the New England Patriots, but head coach Bill Belichick is not going to make any changes at the quarterback position.
The Patriots fell 38-3 to the Dallas Cowboys, which was the worst loss that Belichick has suffered as a head coach. Jones was removed from the game in the third quarter, with backup Bailey Zappe finishing the contest.
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reported that Belichick said Jones would remain the starter going forward, further showing that the move to Zappe was based on preserving Jones for future games.
Belichick also said that Jones was not removed for performance, instead saying “I didn’t think there was any point in leaving him in the game.”
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“I didn’t think there was any point in leaving him in the game”
Bill Belichick says he did not bench Mac Jones for poor performance pic.twitter.com/b5BdlI6WaS
It’s been a weird season for Jones and the Patriots. His rookie season was promising, with Jones leading the team to a 9-8 record and a playoff berth while earning a Pro Bowl nod. His sophomore season was more trying, with him showing regression and the team faltering to an 8-9 record and missing the postseason.
This year, with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien in the fold, has looked cleaner on offense without yielding great results. Jones had thrown for 748 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions through three games, but the team was 1-2. Sunday was a big opportunity for him and the Patriots to earn a statement win and instead, it was an absolute dud.
Jones turned the ball over three times, including a pick-six and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, which means the Dallas defense put more points on the board than the Patriots offense. Jones was 12-of-21 for 151 yards outside of the turnovers, but did little to keep the Patriots in the contest.
Zappe was not a revelation in relief duty, as he went 4-of-9 for 57 yards, but he did notably not turn the ball over. This, combined with his 2-0 record as a starter in 2022 during Jones’ injury absence, gave the idea of him taking over as starter some life again.
However, Zappe was demoted to the practice squad before the regular season, so it’s hard to say he is the ideal option for the team. Additionally, Jones was at least serviceable in the Patriots’ first three games and is not the only quarterback this season to get demolished by this Dallas defense.
Still, the Patriots are 1-3 in a difficult AFC East division. The team will look to right the ship next week against a New Orleans Saints team coming off a difficult loss of its own this week.
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