With 1:52 left in the fourth quarter, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was substituted for backup Bailey Zappe by head coach Bill Belichick after his interception against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in the Patriots’ 10-6 defeat at Frankfurt Stadium.
“I felt that a change was needed,” Belichick said after the match.
There are doubts about Jones’ ability to start for the remainder of the season in light of his benching. Earlier in the season, he had already been substituted out of two games against the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints, although both were very close contests.
This time, however, was different as the Patriots grabbed control at their 14-yard line and had the opportunity to drive for the winning touchdown. In the end, Zappe was intercepted, killing any chance of a comeback for the squad.
“We’ll worry about next week next week,” Belichick said when asked about the quarterback issue moving forward. The game has just ended.”
The Patriots, who are 2-8, will be off the following weekend.
“I’ve played well in my career before, but not right now,” Jones said. It has valleys and summits. I’m now in a bit of a valley. I just need to recover.”
With 4:24 left, New England was driving for what might have been the game-winning touchdown, moving to the Colts’ 15-yard line, when safety Julian Blackmon intercepted Jones on a pass that fell well short of his intended recipient.
“That throw was awful. It was not a good throw, but I hit it in practice. I didn’t do it perfectly, but I knew where to go,” Jones said. “I was going through a few things, but it’s not important. Make no excuses.
Jones said that after the play, he was told from the sidelines that he would not be playing again.
Yes, it’s difficult. Though it’s a challenging circumstance, I ultimately want the squad to succeed. I will always be that person. It’s tough for everyone since we didn’t win,” said Jones, who completed 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards with one interception while taking five sacks. “I have to play better and not even be in that situation.”
Jones has completed 212 out of 324 passes for 2,031 yards this season, with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. This season, Jones became the first quarterback to record ten interceptions. His troubles have been exacerbated by playing behind a patchwork offensive line that has seen seven different combinations in ten games, and a receiving corps that is among the least impressive in the NFL.
On the sidelines earlier in the game, Jones infuriated offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
At 8:38 of the third quarter, Jones tried a risky underhanded throw to running back Rhamondre Stevenson, but it was incomplete, causing the Patriots to have a drive halt at the Colts’ 17-yard line. O’Brien animatedly chatted to Jones as Jones sat next to him on the bench, reviewing plays on a computer tablet. O’Brien kept pointing at the tablet.
Jones intimated that O’Brien was pointing out open receivers he wasn’t seeing when he was questioned about the incident.
“All I attempt to do is go through my material and find the open man. I need to improve on it,” Jones said. “It’s really hard out there in the NFL — it’s really good defense — but there were a lot of open guys I could have hit.”
When asked whether he thought Belichick still had faith in him, Jones said, “You have to be better to make people believe.” I’m not certain. I’m not sure.
Following the game, Jones went to the X-ray room and said that he still had faith in himself. After confirming that it was the consequence of a bruise, he said, “I’m good.”
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