All signs point to Mac Jones‘ return for the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.
Although some were calling for rookie Bailey Zappe to remain under center following his successful time at the helm, Jones is the clear choice, and will likely be the signal-caller as long as he remains healthy.
Ahead of the matchup against the Chicago Bears, it was revealed that third string quarterback Garrett Gilbert will not be suiting up for the game — meaning Jones and Zappe will be the only two QBs on the roster.
Before going down with an ankle injury in Week 3, Jones came out of the gates a little slow in his sophomore season, with just two touchdowns to go along with an alarming five interceptions on the season.
“I think it feels pretty good,” Jones said in the locker room on Friday. “Just trying to work through all the stuff, being able to play in a NFL football game. Want to be able to go out there and help the team and once I’m there, I’m there. So, I’m definitely making progress and we’ve done good job with the treatment”
In his three games as a fill-in, Western Kentucky product, Bailey Zappe, immediately adored himself to the Patriots fan base. Going 2-0 in his lone two starts, Zappe completed an impressive 72.9% of his passes for 596 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception.
In Zappe, the Patriots have a true game manager who can take care of the football and allow his defense and running backs to win games.
It’ll be interesting to see if Bill Belichick goes back to Zappe if Mac Jones is to struggle at any point through the remainder of the season.
