Patriots' Mac Jones: Status as starter in question
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was non-committal Tuesday when asked if Jones (undisclosed) was still the team's No. 1 quarterback, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports. "We have a lot of things to work on this week as a team. We'll work through those. That is what we are going to do this week," Belichick said.
With New England heading into its bye riding a three-game losing streak, Belichick and his coaching staff appear set to re-evaluate the depth chart at multiple spots, including quarterback. Though Jones has started all 10 of the team's games to date, he's failed to finish three of those contests. His first two benchings came in blowout losses to the Cowboys and Saints, but Jones' early removal this past Sunday came while the Patriots had a chance to win the game, and his last pass attempt resulted in a costly red-zone interception with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter. Bailey Zappe stepped in under center and threw a similarly ugly interception on the subsequent possession that sealed the game for the Colts. Coming out of their bye, the 2-8 Patriots could be motivated to see if Zappe or even third-stringer Will Grier can provide a spark to a dormant offense. Jones is tied for second in the NFL with 10 interceptions, and his 6.3 yards per attempt is the third-worst mark in the NFL among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 300 passes.
