It was a frustrating loss for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots as they were handed a 3-38 blowout loss by the Dallas Cowboys. Things are certainly not looking well for the Patriots as they stand 1-3 heading into week 5. Adding to it, the frustration was quite visible for Bill Belichick as he benched Mac Jones in the third quarter.
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In his post-game press conference, Bill Belichick was asked the reason for pulling out Mac Jones from the game. Bearing a loss in Week 4, he responded with a not-so-flattering answer. The legendary coach claimed that he saw no point in making him play the whole game.
Bill Belichick Replaced Jones with Bailey Zappe in the Third Quarter
In the Week 4 matchup between the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys, a significant QB change occurred in the third quarter. Mac Jones was removed from the game by coach Bill with three minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Reflecting on his decision, as per The Athletic’s Jon Machota, Bill commented, “I didn’t think there was any point in leaving him in the game.”
Unfortunately, for the Patriots, Bailey Zappe’s performance did not change a lot of things. Zappe threw two interceptions, including one that resulted in a Pick-6 and he also fumbled the ball. The Cowboys took the opportunity to return the ball for a touchdown.
Moreover, Patriots’ QB1 Mac Jones looked quite ordinary during the game as well. Jones’ performance was largely unsatisfactory with three turnovers during the game. To make things worse, two of them directly resulted in touchdowns for the Cowboys. Hence, one can understand why Belichick decided to bench him mid-game.
Mac Jones Reflects on His Performance for the New England Patriots
During the game against the Cowboys, Jones, under Bill Belichick, completed 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards and threw two interceptions. With his performance, his record as a Patriots starter stands at 17 wins and 18 losses as of now. His record in Alabama prior to the Patriots stint had 898 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. Talking about his performance, Jones seemed extremely regretful. He said,
“I think for me, just bury it, try to learn from it and move on, and just don’t make it turn into another loss,” Jones said. “My rookie year didn’t start off great and we just kept working and I just tried to play better, and that’s what I have to do here. And it’s got to be a lot better by me,” per NBC.
The loss against Dallas marked one of the most soul crushing defeats for New England. Clearly, the team’s offensive struggles were evident as they managed to accumulate only 253 yards in the entire game. Apart from a solitary win against the New York Jets in Week 3, the Patriots have truly failed to impress their fans.
