Bill Belichick Fuels Patriots' Quarterback Controversy After Mac Jones Benching

Belichick has a hard choice to make after another ugly loss.
Bill Belichick fueled the Patriots' quarterback controversy with his comments after benching Mac Jones.
Bill Belichick fueled the Patriots' quarterback controversy with his comments after benching Mac Jones. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
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The location was different, but the result was the same. The New England Patriots suffered another brutal loss in Week 10, falling to the Indianapolis Colts 10-6 in their first trip to Germany.

The game ended as so many Patriots losses have this year: with a terrible mistake from Mac Jones in the fourth quarter. This time it was Jones throwing a horrific interception in the red zone, underthrowing a wide open Mike Gesicki on what would have been a go-ahead touchdown.

When New England got the ball back after making a clutch stop, Bill Belichick didn't give Jones another chance to win the game. Instead, he sent out Bailey Zappe, which immediately backfired when Zappe also got picked off.

When asked about the move after the game, Belichick's comments only fueled the quarterback controversy surrounding his team rather than quelling them.

Belichick defended his decision to remove Jones by saying "I just thought it was time for a change." He also refused to commit to Jones as the Patriots' quarterback when they return from their bye in Week 12, saying that he hasn't made a decision on who will be the team's quarterback going forward.

Week 10 was already the third time this season that Jones has been benched, showing that Belichick is losing faith in him. Jones also leads the NFL in interceptions with 10 and is 2-8 as a starter this year, so a lot of New England's failures this year fall on his shoulders.

Zappe hasn't done anything this season to prove that he's better than Jones, but Belichick could opt to start Will Grier or Malik Cunningham as well.

The Patriots have two weeks to decide who their quarterback will be against the Giants, so Belichick should expect plenty of questions about Jones, Zappe and co. until he makes a choice.

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