Patriots head coach Bill Belichick raised a lot of eyebrows when he pulled starting quarterback Mac Jones from the lineup Monday night against the Chicago Bears and replaced him with backup Bailey Zappe.
Zappe, in turn, led the team to two touchdowns and the lead, but later he had three turnovers in the Patriots’ 33-14 loss, which left a lot of people questioning who would be starting for the team. But according to a report from NFL insider Field Yates, the Patriots’ starter will be Mac Jones.
Breaking news for Week 8: Patriots QB Mac Jones took about 90% of the first teams reps in practice today and will start for the team on Sunday against the Jets, per source. pic.twitter.com/Gc2js6YabK
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 26, 2022
Belichick claimed Monday after the loss that his intentions the whole time was to play both quarterbacks. But it was clear that when he pulled Jones after a few series and an interception and put Zappe in, he expected another Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady-type situation but it fell flat.
In the end, Zappe looked like a backup, and Belichick looked like he made a poor coaching decision. Jones was the only rookie quarterback last season to lead his team to the playoffs and played well as the starter. But a high ankle strang kept Jones out of the lineup for a few weeks and Zappe looked good in the Patriots’ last two victories until Monday night against the Bears.
