Well, that didn’t take long.
Mac Jones made his return on “Monday Night Football” after spending weeks on the bench nursing a high ankle sprain. It didn’t take long for the second-year passer to reacquaint himself with the bench.
In the second quarter of the Patriots’ matchup vs. Bears, Bill Belichick made a move to the rookie passer, benching his 2021 first-round pick in favor of the fourth-round rookie.
MORE: Why did the Patriots draft Bailey Zappe?
Zappe promptly reaffirmed Belichick’s faith in him, going 3-for-3 on his first drive with a touchdown pass, injecting life into GilletteLabs Stadium crowd.
Bailey Zappe to Jakobi Meyers for a TD! #ForeverNE
📺: #CHIvsNE on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/2HQeNdaFPc pic.twitter.com/sQSRQLKdEo— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2022
Why did the Patriots bench Mac Jones?
Jones looked fairly unimpressive in his return to the field on Monday night. He was 3-for-6 passing for 12 yards and an interception through four series, missing some receivers and seemingly slow on the trigger on a few throws.
Brisker first interception.pic.twitter.com/nCxLdz1fkc
— Ⓜ️𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕤𝔻 ▶️ (@_MarcusD3_) October 25, 2022
Jones used his legs more than his arm on the night: He scrambled for a number of first downs, putting down 24 yards on the ground in the process.
But Zappe had caught the eye of the coaching staff in Jones’ absence, and he continued his momentum rolling on Monday night. Zappe threw a touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers, and on his next drive, hit DeVante Parker on a long pass to set up a Rhamondre Stevenson touchdown run.
It’s unclear if this was the leash for Jones all along, but it’s apparent that it’s Zappe hour for the Patriots, at least for Monday night.
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