Why did the Patriots bench Mack Jones? Bill Belichick explains decision to play Bailey Zapp on ‘Monday Night Football’ | Catch My Job

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Well, that didn’t last long.

Mack Jones returned to “Monday Night Football” after spending weeks on the bench nursing a high ankle sprain. It didn’t take long for the sophomore to reacquaint himself with that same bench.

In the second quarter of the Patriots’ game against the Bears, Bill Belichick made a move on passer Bailey Zappe, flipping his 2021 first-round pick in favor of a fourth-rounder, likely giving the keys to another

MORE: Why did the Patriots hire Bailey Zapp?

Zappe immediately reaffirmed Belichick’s faith in him, going 3-for-3 on his first drive with a touchdown pass, injecting life into the crowd at GilletteLabs Stadium.

After the game, coach Bill Belichick had an interesting explanation for why both passers played. Here’s what it was:

Why did the Patriots bench Mack Jones?

After the game, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick explained that it was a pre-game decision to play both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappa in their matchup against the Bears. He declined to say the decision to insert Zappea into the game was the benching of Jones, who threw an interception before the QB change.

Belichick said playing both quarterbacks was “the best thing to do based on the situation,” but did not specify what exactly the “situation” was. Belichick said Jones’ health was a “factor” in the decision (even though it was pretty obvious he was moving well), and that Jones would have re-entered the game if the score hadn’t gotten out of hand.

“I told the quarterbacks we were going to play both of them, and we did,” Belichick said.

Belichick wouldn’t commit to a starting quarterback moving forward, but he would say a multi-KB rotation likely won’t be in the cards in the coming weeks.

Jones looked pretty unimpressive in his return to the court 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 several throws.

Jones used his legs more than his arms on the night: He ran for several first downs, gaining 24 yards on the ground in the process.

Zappé caught the eye of the coaching staff in Jones’ absence, and continued his momentum early Monday night before coming back down to earth.

Zappe threw a touchdown pass to Jacoby Meyers, and on his next drive, he hit DeVante Parker on a long pass for a touchdown to Rhamondra Stevenson. Overall, Zappe finished the night 14-of-22 passing for 185 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

It’s unclear if this was a leash for Jones all along, but it’s clearly Zappé’s watch for the Patriots, at least on Monday night.



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