At first glance, the New England Patriots’ Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears might seem like to perfect landing spot for quarterback Mac Jones, who reportedly will start after a three-week absence.
The 2-4 Bears, after all, have an offense that sets offensive football back decades. Chicago throws the ball fewer than 20 times per game while rushing the ball an average of 33 times per contest, ranking third-worst in points and yards. And the Bears’ run defense is one of the worst in the league, ranking 31st in yards allowed and 26th in yards per attempt. Those surface-level statistics portray a script where the Patriots run the ball without issue, then build a lead against an offense that can’t dig out of a hole.
Add in the fact the Patriots are playing on “Monday Night Football” at Gillette Stadium, the home crowd sure to provide a rowdy atmosphere for the visiting Bears, and one might think it makes for an unbeatable return.
One well-established narrative, however, points to those exact reasons as why it’s an unforgiving spot for Jones: Should Jones struggle against the Bears — again, a bad team — fans at One Patriot Place could express their frustrations and ultimately make it known they wish Bailey Zappe was at quarterback instead of Jones.
“You’re playing at home (Monday night),” Scott Zolak said on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” show Monday morning. “There’s a little pressure on Mac if he plays (Monday).”
Zolak isn’t the first to hint how the Patriots being at home might actually serve as a disadvantage.
Some might view that as a sports talk radio take rather than anything of substance. But there’s no doubt there are Patriots fans who would prefer Zappe over Jones in Week 7, and perhaps beyond. They’ve expressed those opinions, especially after Zappe’s Week 6 performance against the Cleveland Browns helped the rookie fourth-rounder move to 2-0 as a starter.
With that said, what if the narrative does come to fruition? It would be the absolute worst-case scenario for both Jones and the Patriots, further fueling the fire that maybe there should be a quarterback controversy in New England.
Perhaps a better spot for Jones to return, as pointed out by Zolak, would be in Week 8 with the Patriots on the road against the New York Jets. The Jets look like a far better team than the Bears, which might serve to help Jones if he struggled. And Jones wouldn’t face the same scrutiny on the road as he shakes off any rust. It also might eliminate Jones’ return coming in poor weather.
Of course, this speculation goes away if Jones enters the game on Monday night and reinserts himself atop the depth chart. We’re talking about a first-rounder who just led the Patriots to the playoffs in his rookie season, after all. Fans won’t be too proud to not root for Jones because of a short-term infatuation with Zappe. But the uncertainty and still-evolving narrative make the organization’s Week 7 decision a bit more interesting.
The Patriots are an eight-point home favorite entering the contest with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. ET.
