Mac Jones Benched For Bailey Zappe After Ugly Outing Vs. Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Mac Jones was pulled from Sunday's New England Patriots game after one of the worst performances of his NFL career.

The Patriots benched Jones late in the third quarter of their Week 4 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium and replaced him with second-year backup Bailey Zappe.

Mistakes by Jones directly led to two Cowboys touchdowns. He lost a fumble during the second quarter that led to a Dallas scoop-and-score, and cornerback DaRon Bland turned an ill-advised cross-field just before halftime into a 54-yard pick-six.

Jones also threw another interception to Bland during the third quarter. On both plays, the third-year QB tried to fit passes to tightly covered receivers (Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster, respectively).

The Patriots trailed 31-3 at the time of Jones' benching. Jones completed 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions. His 39.9 passer rating was his third-lowest as a pro.

Zappe started two games in place of an injured Jones last season. The Patriots won both, with the 2022 fourth-round draft pick winning over a substantial portion of the New England fanbase in the process.

Rumors about a potential QB competition swirled during the offseason, but Jones easily retained the job after outplaying Zappe in spring practice and training camp. The Patriots released Zappe during final roster cuts before re-signing him to the practice squad and eventually promoting him back to the 53-man roster.

The Patriots are scheduled to host the New Orleans Saints next Sunday. Who starts behind center in that game now will be a major storyline this week.