Mac Jones captures the quarterback dilemma facing the Patriots quite well.
There were many unanswered questions surrounding the quarterback position for the New England Patriots going into their Week 12 matchup. Now, with considerably more, they depart from New York.
After the game, Jones said, “I understood.” “Neither was I scoring points nor was I moving the ball. I can now see why it occurred.
Mac Jones started for the Patriots in the game after the team had not announced a starting quarterback prior to it. It was short-lived, as Jones was taken off the field at halftime following two more careless interceptions.
It didn’t get any better when Bailey Zappe entered the game to begin the second half. Zappe led New England on its lone touchdown drive, although the drive ended with him having a negative mean depth of target, thus he wasn’t put under any pressure.
After that, Zappe had trouble pushing the ball downfield, as seen by a shoddy intercept of his own that contributed to the Giants’ game-winning field goal.
In that scenario, Zappe will rely on his prior experience being a starter to attempt to improve his own performance on the field.
“I find the play to be really unpleasant,” Zappe remarked. “He wrote a fantastic play. I have to observe that he sniped the cross; he did an excellent job. That is entirely my fault. Tyquan Thornton was all over the apartment when I had him.
Since Bill Belichick didn’t publicly choose a starting quarterback, the quarterback position remained in the public eye throughout the week.
After the game, the head coach said that he thought “both guys deserved to play” and that he had told the team that Jones was going to start before they left for New York.
But prior to that, rumors circulated that Jones or Zappe divided practice reps evenly each week. The coach and the quarterback refused to discuss how the reps were split.
Jones stated, “I just need to carry onto the field whatever minutes I get in practice.” “I haven’t been putting an excellent product on the field, but I’m definitely prepared.”
Jones will probably be benched for the fourth time this season due to his poor play, therefore Zappe will likely get the starting gig for New England’s upcoming game versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
When Belichick changed the quarterback, the Patriots were behind 7-0 after Jones threw two interceptions in the first half.
In the half, Jones completed 12 of 21 passes for 89 yards; the Giants converted his second interception for the game’s only touchdown.
The Patriots immediately benefited from Zappe’s assistance, as they drove 60 yards in 11 plays for their touchdown that tied the score at seven. His passing game was shorter, as he was 6-of-6 for 38 yards.
He went 9 of 14 for 54 yards and one interception at the game’s conclusion. Late in the fourth quarter, he assisted in the construction of a drive that may have tied the game, but with six seconds left, rookie kicker Chad Ryland botched a 35-yard field goal.
“I felt both guys deserved to play,” Belichick stated regarding the quarterbacks, choosing not to choose a starting for the team’s encounter with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
“Too much poor ball protection on offense; we turned the puck over too many times, so it got away from us,” Belichick remarked in reference to the Giants defeat. Not up to par. The ball security is far too careless.”
“I wasn’t moving the ball nor scoring points; I understand why it happened,” Jones stated. “Wrong play at quarterback. I didn’t think it was good enough. You have no chance if the quarterback is not playing well.”
Throughout the practice week, Belichick had kept Jones and Zappe in the dark about his intentions about the start of the game. His message stated that readiness was required of everyone, regardless of rank.
According to sources, Jones and Zappe divided up the practice reps during the week, without Jones usually getting the first call.
Some in the locker room thought Jones had the upper hand during the week because of the intricacy of the Giants’ blitz designs, which are overseen by coordinator Wink Martindale, and his skill at sifting through them.