Getty Mac Jones, New England Patriots
The New England Patriots got destroyed on Monday night by the Chicago Bears, 33-14. The Patriots were dismantled in every phase of the game, and the lone bright spot was the play of edge rusher Matthew Judon.
Patriots QB Play Struggles Mightily in Loss to the Bears
Unfortunately for the Patriots, the play at quarterback was especially troubling. Mac Jones got the start after missing the last three games with a high ankle sprain, but he struggled mightily to get anything going on offense for New England.
After he threw his sixth interception of the season on an ill-advised and errant throw in the second quarter, Bill Belichick had seen enough. He immediately benched Jones and went back to rookie Bailey Zappe who compiled a 2-0 record as a starter in place of Jones and veteran Brian Hoyer.
Zappe immediately ignited the Patriots’ offense with back-to-back TD-scoring drives to give New England a 14-10 lead. Unfortunately for New England, they wouldn’t score again. The Bears’ offense steamrolled the Patriots’ defense and nullified New England’s offense, forcing three turnovers, including two interceptions of Zappe’s passes.
It was a disaster. Belichick said he planned to play both quarterbacks and even reportedly told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that Jones would play in the second half. However, Jones didn’t return, and Belichick told reporters after the game that once the game got “out of hand,” he didn’t think it was best to bring Jones back into the contest.
The end result is a mess of a QB situation for the Patriots. Here’s how fans reacted to the 33-14 loss.
Fans Explode With Patriots QB Opinions
Fans were initially hit with a strong case of Zappe fever, but when things started to go off the rails for the rookie, he was fair game for fans. One fan bombed Zappe for his unfortunately negative fortune turn.
@FanDuel Zappe went from the next Brady to the next Mac Jones in 2 quarters.😂😂
Another fan blamed Matt Patricia for the loss. Fans have gone up and down with praise and criticism for Patricia. I guess it comes with the territory.
@MikeReiss 💯 on Patricia. Offensive line is mess. His game plan not the same for Mac and Zappe. He’s a ruining Mac Jones. Confidence is shot on all ends. For the love of god cut Myles Bryant!
Despite Zappe’s struggles, another fan feels the Patriots’ best course of action is to go with the rookie over Jones.
I love Mac Jones to death, but going forward Bailey Zappe is the way to go.
Another fan is down on both Patriots quarterbacks as he thinks they both “stink,” though Zappe is a little less pungent in his eyes.
Mac Jones stinks. Bailey Zappe stinks a little less and the fans like him. That’s your guy moving forward.
The contrasting takes went on all night after the loss. This fan points to Zappe’s poor second-half stat line to prove Jones is the right choice for the Patriots moving forward.
This last fan is seemingly still willing to cut Jones some slack because of his high ankle sprain.
@DrJesseMorse Who tf watched this game and thinks Zappe outperforms Jones, the guy coming back from a high ankle sprain for the first time?
This might be a valid take, but Jones didn’t look hindered physically. He just made some bad decisions with the ball and Belichick put his short leash on the second-year pro into effect.
Zappe sparked the team, but overall the Bears outplayed the Patriots in the run game, and their secondary was strong.
The Patriots didn’t have a ton of open receivers throughout the game, making things tough for both quarterbacks. New England has some serious work to do if they hope to get into the postseason.
As it stands, the Bears look like a team moving in the right direction. to make matters worse, former Patriots WR N’Keal Harry came up with a reception in his first game with his new team.
It was an all-around tough night for Patriots Nation.