As Julian Edelman pointed out before Sunday afternoon’s kickoff at MetLife Stadium, the Patriots were better off losing their Week 12 matchup with the Giants than winning.

And as he’s done virtually all season, Mac Jones put New England in position to tack on another game to the loss column.

Jones was awful in the two quarters he played in the Meadowlands, completing 12 of 21 pass attempts for only 89 yards with no touchdowns and two brutal interceptions. The performance was tough to watch, but it also wasn’t the worst series of events for New Englanders hoping the team continues to spiral and ends up with a top 2024 draft pick.

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Bill Simmons appears to be among those fans.

“Mac Jones is the Michael Jordan of tanking,” the founder of The Ringer posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Theories of the Patriots sticking with Jones as a means of self-sabotage were squashed a bit once play resumed in the second half. Bill Belichick handed the keys of the offense over to Bailey Zappe to start the third quarter and the sophomore signal-caller promptly led a methodical game-tying touchdown drive.

Jones’ fourth benching of the season should signal the end of his run as New England’s starting quarterback. But that’s been a reasonable line of thinking for weeks now, so it’s unclear how Belichick will choose to move forward behind center.

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Featured image via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images