New Details Reveal Patriots Could Bench Mac Jones Soon

Kenneth Teape

October 11, 2023

A strong argument can be made that the New England Patriots are the worst team in the NFL right now. While there are five teams in the NFL with 1-4 records and the Carolina Panthers are 0-5, those teams have shown a little more competitiveness in recent weeks than New England has.

The Patriots are entering Week 6 off of the worst two-game stretch in the Bill Belichick era and one of the worst back-to-back performances in franchise history. After losing 38-3 on the road to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, the Patriots followed that up with a 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints at Gilette Stadium.

In both of those games, starting quarterback Mac Jones was benched and for good reason. After a decent start to the season, in the last two games, he has been especially poor. Jones completed 24-of-43 attempts for 260 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions against the Cowboys and Saints.

Both of those defenses are solid, but Jones threw for 316 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in bad weather conditions against a very good Philadelphia Eagles defense in Week 1. In Week 3 against a stout New York Jets team, Jones had his only interception-free game of the season.

In Week 6, the Patriots will be heading on the road to play against Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders. Jones has been named the starter for that game, but according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, his hold on the position is not very strong.

While QB Mac Jones is expected to start Sunday, I’m told this is still an important week of practice for him as the Patriots evaluate every position on the roster on the heels of the worst two losses of Bill Belichick’s career. Jones has six turnovers in those two losses.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) October 10, 2023

The only thing really working in Jones’s favor right now is that the Patriots are lacking a great option to turn to. The only other quarterback on the active roster is Bailey Zappe, who played so poorly in the offseason he was released at final cuts. He was only brought back after Matt Corral had some off-the-field issues that led to him being released and added to the practice squad.

It certainly would be warranted if the Patriots decided to bench Jones. The 2021 first-round pick hasn’t gotten close to replicating what he did as a rookie, putting New England in a position to re-evaluate the quarterback spot in the future.

Bill Belichick, Mac Jones, New England Patriots

New York Jets’ Coach Provides Massive Update On Aaron Rodgers

When the New York Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers last year, everything was supposed to change. The

New York Jets’ Coach Reveals Plan For Key Offensive Playmaker

The New York Jets selected two running backs in the NFL Draft last week, which has some wondering about what the plan will be for

Odell Beckham Jr.’s Fit With Miami Dolphins Is A Strange One

The Miami Dolphins signed wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year, $8.25 million deal on Friday, giving them a rather impressive trio of pass-catchers