The New England Patriots decided to start Mac Jones at quarterback in Monday night's Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears, but he didn't get much of a chance to prove himself.
After three uninspiring drives, including one that ended with a Jones interception, the 2021 first-round draft pick was pulled from the game in favor of rookie Bailey Zappe. Zappe played the rest of the game, and after leading back-to-back touchdown drives in the second quarter, the offense stalled out as the Bears cruised to a 33-14 win at Gillette Stadium.
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The decision to start Jones and then subsequently remove him so early in the game has ignited plenty of criticism hurled toward Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith joined that group during Tuesday morning's edition of "First Take". He called Belichick's decision to start Jones a "huge mistake".
Check out Smith's full explanation in the video below:
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Going back and forth between quarterbacks in a single game doesn't allow either player to build much momentum. It also could make them play more conservative and tighter for fear of making a mistake and getting benched.
One of the problems for the Patriots is neither Jones nor Zappe played well against the Bears. These quarterbacks combined for only one touchdown pass and four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble lost). There's no clear-cut choice for the starting job, at least based on recent performance.
The safest decision for the Patriots is giving Jones his job back. He won 10 games last year and helped lead the team to the playoffs. He also has a larger sample size of success and more experience working with the skill position players than Zappe.
That said, Belichick isn't afraid of making bold or unpopular decisions, especially if he thinks it is what's best for the team.