Despite being benched in the Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is still taking the first reps at practice. Our Patriots insiders Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry report that no decision has been made yet on which quarterback will get the start against the New York Giants when they return from the bye in Week 12.
Jones had a terrible performance against the Colts, only throwing for 170 yards and finishing with a game-sealing interception in the red zone. New England's defense held strong, giving the Patriot offense another shot, but this time it was with Zappe under center. The drive ended in the same manner -- another interception.
Following the loss, many believed Jones' time in New England as a starter was done, but new developments within the Patriot camp point in another direction.
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Curran and Perry discussed the quarterback situation on Wednesday's Arbella Early Edition.
"Mac Jones was first up [at practice], working with starting center David Andrews," Perry said. "Bailey Zappe and Will Grier filled in behind."
While insiders had initially thought that Zappe may get the start, if Wednesday's practice is any indicator, it will likely still be Jones. With initial reports all but writing Jones off, the third-year QB getting first-team reps gives hope that he may live to start another week.
"It's our understanding, so far, that there hasn't been a decision made just yet," Perry added.
Benching Jones is easier said than done. While some may argue that we've seen enough of the 2021 first-round pick, Zappe and Grier aren't new either. Zappe has gotten involved in seven games in his two-year career so far, throwing for 885 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. In what was a very telling move of how the league values Zappe, every NFL team had a chance to sign him after he cleared waivers earlier this year, and not one team showed interest.
As for Grier, aside from one standout preseason game for the Dallas Cowboys, the 2019 third-round draft pick boasts a very unimpressive resume. Only playing in two games, both in his rookie year, Grier has thrown for a mere 228 yards on a 53.8 percent completion rate. Yet to find the end zone, he has also tallied four interceptions.
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"And that's from two different sources," Curran said on the lack of decision on a starting quarterback. "There's no decision yet made on Mac Jones, even though it seemed, for all of the world, that a decision was made when Bailey Zappe took the field in that two-minute drill."
Patriots center David Andrews chimed in on the quarterback debacle, giving support to Jones and crediting him as a leader of the team, despite reports saying Jones has lost the locker room.
As the saying goes, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.
The Patriots will have an extra week to figure out who will start for them against the Giants, with their next game coming after the bye week on Nov. 26.