Mac Jones Not Sure How To Feel After Latest Patriots Benching

FRANKFURT, Germany — Bill Belichick believed his backup quarterback was a better option than his starter as the Patriots tried to mount a late-game comeback Sunday at Frankfurt Stadium.

After Mac Jones threw a back-breaking red-zone interception with 4:38 remaining, Belichick benched him and inserted Bailey Zappe for New England’s possession. The move did not pay off, with Zappe throwing a cringe-inducing pick of his own to seal a 10-6 win for the Indianapolis Colts.

It was Jones’ third benching of the season, with the first two coming in blowout losses to the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. Asked for his reaction to Sunday’s removal, the third-year pro replied: “I’m not sure.”

“I think it’s hard, right?” Jones said in his postgame news conference. “It’s a difficult situation. But at the end of the day, I really did want the team to win. I’ll always be that person. I know that we didn’t win, so it’s hard for everybody, but I have to play better to not even be in that situation. It’s not ideal for anybody. No one is going to do good in that situation.”

Jones acknowledged he “wasn’t playing very good” Sunday. Though his stat line was respectable (15-for-20, 170 yards), he took five first-half sacks and had another ill-advised red-zone pass bounce off a Colts defender’s hands. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was seen screaming at Jones after one third-quarter drive stalled deep in Indianapolis territory.

As for the interception that got him yanked, Jones called it “a terrible throw.”

Belichick would not say whether the team plans to stick with Jones or give Zappe or Will Grier a chance to start. The 2-8 Patriots have two weeks to make that decision, as they’re heading into their Week 11 bye.

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Jones was asked whether he believes Belichick still has faith in him.

“I mean, at the end of the day, I’ve got to play better,” he said. “To make people believe, you’ve got to be better. I’m not sure. I don’t know.”

Jones did say he has “a lot of faith” in himself despite looking far less confident on the field than he did during his promising rookie season. The Patriots have lost 13 of his last 18 starts.

“I didn’t play very well,” Jones said. “I’ve played well in my career before, but just not right now. It’s peaks and valleys, but I’m kind of in a valley right now, and just got to bounce back.”