Mac Jones isn’t the answer. Bailey Zappe isn’t the answer. Who is the answer for the Patriots?
After over three years, the Mac Jones dream is over for the New England Patriots.
It’s time to wake up, wipe away the drool, climb out of bed and take a hard look in the mirror the morning after watching Jones put forth the worst quarterbacking performance in the Bill Belichick era.
The No. 15 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft was an absolute bust for the Patriots. Make no mistake, Belichick also deserves blame in the situation because his methods were a failure at developing a young quarterback that showed significant potential right out of the gates as a rookie.
But Jones is the man under center. He’s the one with the ball in his hands. He’s the one person on the field every player is supposed to look to and trust with the game on the line. Yet, time and time again, he has proven that he isn’t the right guy for the job in New England. Sunday’s 10-6 loss to the Colts was the breaking point.
Let’s delve into some leftover notes from the game.
5 big takeaways from the Patriots dropping their eighth loss of the season on Sunday to the Colts.
The New England Patriots traveled to Germany on Sunday to take on the Indianapolis Colts. It was a fitting game for a crowd used to low scoring “football,” as both teams combined for just one touchdown and four total scores throughout the contest.
And the 10-6 final scoreline reflected terribly on the Patriots. New England’s defense shut down the Indianapolis offense throughout the entire game, but just could not muster a shred of offense on their end to complement the defensive unit.
The game ultimately ended in an ugly manner for the Patriots, with quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe each throwing bad interceptions late in the game that sealed the loss for New England.
Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.
SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks
Pass-Rush
TD
Dak Prescott
404-17
5
Justin Herbert
323-15
4
Sam Howell
312-17
3
Joshua Dobbs
268-44
2
Geno Smith
369-8
2
Running Backs
Yards
TD
Brian Robinson
8-38
6-119
1
Jahmyr Gibbs
14-77
3-35
2
Devin Singletary
30-150
1-11
1
Austin Ekeler
19-67
4-48
1
Christian McCaffrey
16-95
6-47
0
Wide Receivers
Yards
TD
Keenan Allen
11-175
2
CeeDee Lamb
11-151
1-14
2
Brandin Cooks
9-173
1
Amon-Ra St. Brown
8-156
1
Mike Evans
6-143
1
Tight Ends
Yards
TD
T.J. Hockenson
11-134
1
Trey McBride
8-131
0
George Kittle
3-116
1
Jake Ferguson
4-26
1
Dalton Schultz
4-71
0
Placekickers
XP
FG
Jason Meyers
2
5
Dustin Hopkins
1
4
Matt Prater
1
4
Riley Patterson
5
2
Chris Boswell
2
3
Defense
Sack – TO
TD
49ers
5-4
0
Colts
5-2
0
Ravens
4-2
1
Buccaneers
4-1
0
Browns
3-2
1
Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts
QB Derek Carr – Shoulder / Head
QB Taylor Heinicke – Hamstring
QB Baker Mayfield – Thumb
QB Deshaun Watson – Ankle
TE Gerald Everett – Back
RB Alexander Mattison – Concussion
WR Michael Thomas – Knee
WR Jamal Agnew – Shoulder
Chasing Ambulances
QB Derek Carr – Injured his shoulder and potentially was concussed. Jameis Winston came in and threw two second-half touchdowns and two interceptions. The Saints are on their bye in Week 11, so Carr has two weeks to heal up.
QB Taylor Heinicke – Hurt his hamstring and did not return to the game. Desmond Ridder replaced him in time to ensure the eventual loss to the Cardinals. Like Derek Carr, the Falcons have their bye this week and Heinicke will have two weeks to heal. But HC Arthur Smith also has two weeks to decide what he wants to do.
QB Baker Mayfield – Hit his hand on the facemask of a defender and injured his thumb in the middle of the fourth quarter. He still finished the game and later said it was okay. The Buccaneers play in San Francisco this week, so he’ll need to be healthy to keep the Bucs in that matchup.
QB Deshaun Watson – Injured his ankle in the second quarter during a rough tackle (one of many), but still played the balance of the game. It became notable when he left the locker room with a walking boot but said that he’d be fine. It is something to track this week and the Browns face a critical matchup when they host the Steelers.
RB Alexander Mattison – The Vikings starting running back left in the third quarter of the win over the Saints with a concussion. Ty Chandler replaced him and rushed for 45 yards on 15 carries with one touchdown. Mattison will enter the protocol this week and his availability to play in Denver on Sunday depends on how he progresses.
WR Michael Thomas – Left the loss to the Vikings early in the first quarter after taking a hard hit and hurting his knee. He was officially ruled out in the second half. He already had a legal situation with an arrest last week. The Saints enter their bye, so he has time to heal up and deal with any repercussions from his arrest.
Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables
RB Ty Chandler (MIN) – The Vikings already lost Cam Akers, and then Alexander Mattison suffered a concussion in the win over the Saints. Ty Chandler ran for 45 yards and a score but never had a target. The Vikings play in Denver this week and will go against one of the worst defenses versus running backs. He’s a need pick for the Mattison owner but a luxury for any other fantasy team unless Mattison misses games.
QB Bailey Zappe (NE) – Bill Belichick benched Mac Jones in the loss to the Colts, and Zappe only completed 3-of-7 for 25 yards during the matchup in Germany. But the Pats slipped to 2-8 and the time to get desperate has already passed. The Patriots, shockingly, are reaching the point where changes need to be made, if only to look like they haven’t given up. That could involve Zappe or any of the Pats’ other players. This is all new territory for the Patriots and a situation that Belichick hasn’t dealt with in decades.
QB Joshua Dobbs (MIN) – Playing in his first start with the Vikings, the ex-Cardinal threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, plus rushed for 44 yards on eight runs. He’s slipped in quickly and already engineered a win. Dobbs not only has his next opponents of the Broncos, Bears, and Raiders, he may be getting Justin Jefferson on the field this weekend.
RB Devin Singletary (HOU) – Dameon Pierce was inactive this week so the Texans had to rely on Singletary. The ex-Bill responded well to his first start in Houston when he ran for 150 yards on 30 carries and caught an 11-yard pass. Pierce is out with an ankle injury and never practiced last week. The Texans’ next three opponents are all at home – Cardinals, Jaguars, and Broncos. The Jags are above-average against running backs but the Cardinals and Broncos are two of the worst.
RB Rico Dowdle (DAL) – The Cowboys dominated the Giants on Sunday, but Tony Pollard only gained 55 yards on 14 rushes (3.7 YPC). The Cowboys stuck with Pollard in the first quarter when they reached the Giants’ goal line but turned the ball over on downs, unable to score. Dowdle was given 12 rushes and gained 79 yards (6.6 YPC) and punched in a one-yard score in the fourth quarter. Dowdle saw more use in this blowout, but he had been limited to just five carries in all previous games. This week, the Cowboys play in Carolina against the No. 30 defense versus running backs. Pollard was unsuccessful at home against the No. 26 defense, so maybe Dowdle is slowly buying more playing time.
WR Noah Brown (HOU) – He replaced the injured Nico Collins in Week 9 and gained a career-best 153 yards and a score on six catches in the Texans win over the Panthers. With Collins out again, Brown turned in seven receptions for 172 yards. The ex-Cowboys is buying himself more playing time. Nico Collins missed the last two practices last week with a calf injury. He’ll start against the Cardinals this week if Collins remains out.
WR Brandin Cooks (DAL) – Entering into Week 10, Cooks had not gained more than 49 yards in any game for the Cowboys but had scored in Weeks 6 and 8. Facing the Giants, Cooks abused them for 173 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. His three scores over the last four games are more impressive than the high-yardage blip from last Sunday.
QB Kyler Murray (ARZ) – The Cardinals quarterback debuted against the Falcons on Sunday. While he only threw for 249 yards and an interception, he scored on his six runs for 33 yards and led six drives that ended in scores, including the drive in the final 2:33 in the game when he brought the Cards down to the ATL 16-yard line where they kicked the walk-off winning field goal.
TE Trey McBride (ARZ) – Expectations for the second-year tight end were higher this year and he already had a 95-yard performance in Week 8. His first game with Kyler Murray this season resulted in a career-best 131 yards on eight receptions in the win over the Falcons. They play in Houston this week against the No. 31 defense against tight ends.
Huddle player of the week
Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Dak Prescott – After starting the year with marginal passing stats, Prescott perked up against the Rams and Eagles. He just upped those games with 404 yards and four passing scores versus the visiting Giants and even ran in a touchdown. The Cowboys had the game already well in hand before the second quarter but continued the bombing while scoring the entire game through the final two minutes. Fantasy football loves a big score and the NFL’s absence of a mercy rule.
Salute!
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
Frank Reich, the Patriots and Giants find the bottom, more horrid officiating, and one weird fumble return. It’s time for the NFL’s Worst of the Week!
Football is a wonderful, thrilling, inspiring game that can lift us to new heights in our lives.
But football is also a weird, inexplicable, at times downright stupid game that may force you to perform Keith Moon-level furniture destruction in your own living room.
So, as much as we at Touchdown Wire endeavor to write about what makes the game great, there are also times when it’s important to point out the dumb plays, boneheaded decisions, and officiating errors that make football all too human.
Folks, it’s time for the Worst of the Week for Week 10 of the 2023 NFL season.
Watching a legend like Bill Belichick go out like this is just sad.
Let’s make one thing abundantly clear: Bill Belichick’s legacy is secure. Whenever he decides to hang up his headset, his cut-off hoodie, and stop grimacing at reporters’ basic questions like they just asked him the most offensive thing ever, he will be remembered as the greatest coach in NFL history. Bar none. He does not have to accomplish anything else. A resume with eight different Super Bowls (six with the New England Patriots) speaks for itself.
That race is over. Sorry, Vince Lombardi.
But as we watch Belichick’s modern Patriots bumble around to a 2-8 record this year, reality is really, really hard to ignore. It’s probably high time for the 71-year-old living legend to walk away from the game he so desperately loves. Because these Patriots are flat-out atrocious from top to bottom — imagine scoring six points against the Indianapolis Colts in an international showcase — and I’m not sure they will turn it around any time soon.
Seriously, as unbelievable as it might be, does this sound like a guy who has the answers? Not even close.
Bill Belichick on benching Mac Jones: "I just thought it was time for a change" pic.twitter.com/hXDZqxJMnC
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) November 12, 2023
I know the natural conclusion to Belichick continuing to coach is that he loves football more than anything. The man has partly established his legend by occasionally sharing random, enthusiastic diatribes about the nuances of special teams play. I’d go as far as to say that no one thinks about this beautiful, complicated, dangerous game as much as Belichick does. It’s why he’s so great and why he helped deliver the Patriots the greatest extended dynastic run in the sport’s history earlier this century.
But part of being great should be knowing when to walk away. I would’ve argued that the time to step down was when Tom Brady left New England — because that was the Patriots’ peak — but Belichick wanted another go at it. He wanted to make Mac Jones work (for a time, anyway) and continue winning with the running game and defense. Aside from a surprising 2021 campaign, that plan has blown up in Belichick’s face and in spectacular fashion.
The Patriots, who currently own one of the league’s worst records, will almost certainly be drafting a new quarterback (Caleb Williams? Drake Maye?) this April. An extended rebuild likely waits for one of pro football’s marquee franchises. Whoever is the architect of this product will probably have to rip out the studs and build from the ground up.
Does Belichick, in his early 70s, really want to run back this mess and try again? I have my doubts, and I’d worry about him if he did. He should be enjoying retirement, sailing around Nantucket, not worrying about seeing through the overhaul of an atrocious football team that needs a remodel everywhere.
There’s virtually zero chance the Patriots and owner Robert Kraft fire Belichick this offseason. He has done too much for the franchise to be publicly disrespected like that. The optics for an organization that has lost all of its goodwill from the Tom Brady era would be horrific in that scenario. But I would be shocked if we didn’t see a “mutual parting of ways” (a.k.a. Bill, we like you, but please go away). That is if Belichick doesn’t just retire outright.
Belichick is one of the finest minds and leaders football has ever seen. But that shouldn’t change his future. His Patriots head-coaching tenure should be referred to in the past tense soon.
Elsewhere in For The Win‘s Week 10 NFL awards, two old Ohio State pals enjoyed an awesome “sack reunion.” Meanwhile, Fox had an awesome way of reminding us a certain NFL quarterback is an astronaut.
Bill Belichick felt like it was time for a change at quarterback.
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick made the decision to bench Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe at quarterback in the final drive of Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The experiment failed, however, as Zappe threw an interception to end the game. It was a difficult day for both Jones and Zappe with the two quarterbacks going a combined 18-of-27 throwing for 173 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
There were more questions than answers, particularly as it relates to how the game finished. According to Belichick, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, no decisions have been made for next week. But for right now, the Patriots coach felt like it was time for a change.
Bill Belichick: Thought it was time for a change; not making any QB decisions for next week at this time. pic.twitter.com/VIXFRboL5C
Quarterback play has been inconsistent for the entire season.
Change needs to take place, although it remains to be seen if anybody in the quarterback room can provide a spark. The Patriots might have to wait until the offseason for better results.
The Twitter reactions to Mac Jones being benched for Bailey Zappe were rough.
The New England Patriots lost to the Indianapolis Colts in brutal fashion by a 10-6 score on Sunday. It was a rough day especially for Patriots’ quarterback Mac Jones, who was benched late in the fourth quarter.
This is not the first time that Jones has been benched this season. The former first-round pick has struggled throughout the year and has been benched three times this year alone.
He threw for 170 yards and an interception in the loss. It was the fourth game this season that he did not throw for a touchdown pass. All in all, his shaky performance raised further questions about his future in New England.
Twitter had a lot to say about Jones being benched for Bailey Zappe. Here are some of the opinions popping up on social media:
Mac Jones was taken to the x-ray room following the Patriots’ loss to the Colts.
Mac Jones had a rough day in the New England Patriots’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. He passed for 170 yards and threw one interception before being benched late in the fourth quarter.
On top of the on-field struggles, it looks as though he might have sustained an injury. Jones was seen heading into an x-ray room following the game.
Indianapolis had five total sacks on the day, and Jones was hit repeatedly in the pocket. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo had three sacks alone, and he was able to take advantage of a banged-up Patriots offensive line.
Studs and duds from the Patriots’ Week 10 loss in Germany.
The New England Patriots packed up their offensive problems and brought them along for the ride in Sunday’s head-to-head clash with the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.
A hopeful field goal drive to start the game devolved into one of the worst offensive performances of the season for the Patriots. They only mustered two field goals against a Colts defense that ranked as the third-worst in the NFL in points allowed heading into the game.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the unit somehow managed to overcome missing team captain and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, along with other star playmakers, to hold the Colts’ top-10 scoring offense to only 10 points.
Here are the studs and duds from the game on Sunday:
Mac Jones got benched, Bailey Zappe got his chance to play hero and the Patriots still lost 10-6 to the Colts.
For a second straight week the New England Patriots faced one of the worst scoring defenses in the NFL, and for a second straight week, they failed to score more than 17 points in a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
There’s no need in worrying if the Patriots could tank enough losses to get a top-three pick in the 2024 NFL draft because they’re already there. Per Tankathon, if the season ended today, the Patriots would hold the No. 3 overall pick of the draft.
Yikes.
The biggest headline coming out of the game will undoubtedly be the benching of quarterback Mac Jones. This wasn’t a situation where the Patriots were getting blown out, and Jones was pulled from a chance to compile garbage stats, either.
The game was on the line with it being the final drive for the Patriots, and coach Bill Belichick decided to pull his starting quarterback for backup Bailey Zappe.
It was a chance for Zappe to shake things up and earn himself more playing time in future games. Yet, he stepped right up and showed why the Patriots have been so reluctant to pull Jones from the starting position.
The only saving grace was the Patriots defense, which continued to overcome the injury bug by holding the Colts’ seventh-ranked scoring offense to only 10 points. But their incredible effort was completely negated by bad quarterback play from Jones, who finished with a paltry 170 passing yards and one interception.
There were at least two plays that should have been touchdown passes in the back of the end zone, but Jones missed both of them, including one ending in a backbreaking interception in the red zone late in the fourth quarter.
The Patriots will have an extra week to sit on this loss with the bye week coming up.
Some big decisions are obviously coming in the offseason regarding the future of the team. However, given the way the team looked on Sunday, earlier changes in the bye week might not be out of the question.
