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New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn’t dive into specifics regarding his decision to bench Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe in Sunday’s 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
“I just thought it was time for a change,” he said in his postgame press conference.
NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Coverage @NBCSPatriots
Bill Belichick on benching Mac Jones: “I just thought it was time for a change” pic.twitter.com/hXDZqxJMnC
Belichick didn’t commit to either player as the starter for New England’s next game on Nov. 26 against the New York Giants.
“We’ll worry about next week next week,” he said. “The game just finished like a half hour ago.”
Jones finished 15-of-20 for 170 yards and an interception. The turnover came in the fourth quarter with the Patriots inside the red zone on a poorly thrown ball by the third-year signal-caller.
NFL @NFL
Julian Blackmon intercepts Mac Jones at the goal line!
📺: #INDvsNE on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/d4RDZpceuE pic.twitter.com/K0AHBzjFwM
Plenty of fans will argue Jones has earned himself a demotion. With each passing week it becomes increasingly clear he simply isn’t the guy.
Matt Miller @nfldraftscout
Mac Jones’ regression will always shock me. Yes, Patriots supporting staff is bad, but he just plays panicked football non-stop.
The timing of Belichick’s gambit, however, was puzzling to say the least. Zappe was tasked with coming off the bench totally cold and leading a two-minute drill. The drive ended ignominiously as a fake spike didn’t fool the defense and resulted in an interception.
NFL @NFL
FAKE SPIKE INTERCEPTION. #INDvsNE pic.twitter.com/wvW6l2ItDg
Belichick’s job security has been a storyline all season. New England made the playoffs once in the first three years after Tom Brady left, and the franchise is trending toward its worst season in decades following a 2-8 start.
One would think a coach with Belichick’s résumé would at least get the rest of the year before ownership seriously considered a change. After Sunday, you wouldn’t blame owner Robert Kraft if he decided he has seen enough.
Bill Simmons @BillSimmons
Bailey Zappe off the bench in a 2 minute drill in Germany with a fake spike horrible pick to end it… this is how the Belichick Era should probably end.
But it was a phenomenal run!!!!
This could be a watershed moment in Jones’ Patriots tenure as well. Even if he retains the starting job, his reputation may not fully recover from getting benched yet again. With the game hanging in the balance, Belichick clearly didn’t trust the 2021 Pro Bowler, and that’s a pretty damning indictment.
Cutting Jones in the offseason would put just under $5 million in dead money on the books for 2024. That’s a necessary price to pay in order to pursue a separation everyone involved would clearly benefit from.
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