Mac Jones got Zappe'd again.
It was a performance to forget for the Patriots on Sunday afternoon, and as is the case whenever a team sputters and stalls, it all falls on the quarterback.
That again was the rule on Sunday afternoon, when Bill Belichick opted to bench Mac Jones in favor of Bailey Zappe with minutes left in the third quarter. It was a total team non-effort in the drubbing, but Jones carried his fair share of the blame for the Patriots' offensive woes.
MORE: Sauce Gardner says Mac Jones punched him in the nether-regions
Prior to his benching, Jones was 12-of-21 passing for 150 yards and two interceptions, including a Pick-6. Jones also was strip sacked which led to another six points for the Dallas defense. When Jones was benched, the game may have been out of reach for New England, with Dallas stretching the lead to 31-3. Better to protect your starter than to leave him out to dry, as some coaches have done this year.
To that end, the Patriots head coach said as much after the game, saying that Jones would be the starter moving forward, and that he wasn't benched solely for his performance:
Patriots HC Bill Belichick on benching Mac Jones:
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 2, 2023
“No sense in leaving him in the game.”
Said he wasn't benched for poor performance.
Says Mac Jones will be the starter moving forward.
Jones grabbing some pine isn't necessarily a new thing. In 2022, Jones was benched in favor of Zappe during a "Monday Night Football" matchup vs. the Bears. Jones admitted that he had to play better.
Jones would regain the starter role, though he did miss a few games while dealing with an ankle injury.
In his stead, backup Bailey Zappe returns. The second-year passer performed well in limited action in 2022, completing over 70 percent of his passes, throwing five touchdowns to two interceptions in two games.
MORE: A comprehensive timeline of Mac Jones' questionable plays
Zappe couldn't quite spark the Patriots offense in the matchup vs. Dallas, going 2-of-5 passing for 15 yards in his first game action since last year.
On the whole, it hasn't been a great look for the Patriots offense. After restructuring its offensive coaching staff — Matt Patricia was ousted and replaced with familiar face Bill O'Brien — the Pats offense is one of the worst scoring units in the NFL, and has mustered just 16 points in its last two matchups.
We'll see if the Hoodie has anything to say about Mac and the Pats attack, or if they'll just be onto New Orleans following the game.