How Jonathan Taylor Reacted To Mac Jones’ Late-Game Benching

The Patriots benched Mac Jones twice in consecutive weeks earlier this season, but those decisions were made with New England facing deficits of 30-plus points.

Sunday’s New England quarterback change was in a far different situation.

Bill Belichick pulled Jones in favor of Bailey Zappe for the Patriots’ final possession of their Week 10 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. With New England trailing 10-6, the shift behind center gave Zappe a chance to put together the first game-winning drive of his NFL career.

The latest edition of “Zappe Hour” was only a few minutes, though, as the second-year signal-caller sealed the International Series contest with a horrific interception into triple coverage. The Patriots dipped to 2-8 with the loss, while the frisky Colts moved back up to .500.

Jonathan Taylor, the lone touchdown scorer in the New England-Indianapolis tilt, reacted to the Jones benching after Indy’s narrow win.

“You never know what to expect with a Bill Belichick-coached team,” Taylor told NFL Network’s Stacey Dales. “I mean, they could have a scheme, a play drawn up. It could be a change — it doesn’t matter. All I know is our defense stayed locked in the entire game and they definitely helped us get this win tremendously.”

It was a tough day at the office for Jones, who completed 15 of 20 pass attempts for 170 yards with no touchdowns and a brutal interception. Prior to riding the pine, the 2021 first-rounder was reamed out by offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and drew a helpless look from a deflated Robert Kraft.

It remains to be seen how the Patriots will utilize their quarterbacks going forward. Belichick and company will have plenty of time to think about it, as New England will be on bye in Week 11.