For the second consecutive week, Mac Jones found himself on the sidelines as the New England Patriots faced yet another lopsided defeat at the hands of their opponent. In Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, with the Patriots trailing by a staggering 31-0, Jones was replaced by Bailey Zappe in the fourth quarter.

Jones had a challenging outing, with the Patriots already down 24-0 when he was pulled from the game. He completed 12 of his 22 passes for a modest 110 yards but unfortunately threw two interceptions. This benching marked the second time in as many weeks, with the first instance occurring in the Patriots’ previous loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Despite that setback, head coach Bill Belichick had initially remained committed to Jones as the starting quarterback. However, the recurring pattern of Jones being benched begs the question of whether the coaching staff will reconsider their decision.

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Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that although Bailey Zappe had seen an increase in practice snaps leading up to the game, there were no immediate plans for a change in the starting quarterback position. Zappe, who has served as Jones’ backup for two seasons, has demonstrated his ability to perform when called upon. In the previous season, he stepped in during Jones’ absence due to injury and helped secure two victories for the team before the starting quarterback returned.

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Despite the significant deficit on the scoreboard, there was still a substantial amount of time left in the game when Zappe took the field. Whether Zappe can lead the Patriots on a comeback remains to be seen, and it will be interesting to observe how the coaching staff and the team’s dynamics evolve in light of these recent developments.