Mac Jones just about hit rock bottom for the New England Patriots during the team’s Week 12 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany.
Jones struggled mightily in that game, throwing for just 170 yards and tossing a bad interception to Julian Blackmon in the red zone on a drive that could have put the Patriots in front in an eventual 10-6 loss.
Bailey Zappe replaced Jones, this time on the final drive trying to rally New England. Off of a fake spike, Zappe too threw a demoralizing interception to Rodney Thomas II that sealed the deal for the Colts.
Jones had X-rays done after the game before speaking to the media following the loss. Was there more to his benching than just his second-half regression?
It appears so, per a new report from MassLive’s Mark Daniels with contributions from Karen Guregian and Chris Mason. After a series of hits in the second half, Jones had his right arm go numb, leading to the underthrow on the interception and the switch to Zappe.
“Jones suffered a stinger when Tyquan Lewis hit him at 7:56 of the fourth quarter,” Daniels wrote. “It caused his right arm to go numb, according to a source. … One Patriots teammate, who was on the field for that drive, told MassLive he didn’t know about Jones’ stinger. The injury, combined with poor pass protection, led to another embarrassing interception for Jones. When he returned to the sideline, however, he received encouragement from coaches and other teammates.”
Bill Belichick ultimately believed Jones’ play was not going to be serviceable for a potential game-winning drive. Though Jones eventually felt ready to return, Zappe still got the nod to try and go win the game, per Daniels.
“At the time, Jones went up to and fist-bumped every starter on the offensive line, trying to rally his troops,” Daniels added. “That’s why Jones, according to a source, was surprised when we was pulled from the game for the Patriots’ final 2-minute drive. Before Zappe entered the game, the feeling in Jones’ arm and hand returned. After being encouraged by the coaches, Jones thought he was about to go back into the game.”
After the international loss, Jones got one more chance to start at MetLife Stadium two weeks later against the New York Giants. The Patriots quarterback struggled again with three first-half interceptions. Jones was benched for the fourth and final time before Zappe entered and eventually started the remainder of the season.
The Patriots’ loss to the Colts marked another strange occurrence for Jones, who’s been on a decline since his Pro Bowl rookie season in 2021.
As Jerod Mayo takes over in New England looks to get the Patriots back on track, Jones’ path in the NFL remains unclear.
