Insider explains why Patriots may sit QB Mac Jones vs. Giants

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may sit starting quarterback Mac Jones for Sunday's game at the 3-8 New York Giants even though backups Bailey Zappe and Will Grier haven't necessarily impressed during practices. 

"Jones' seeming case of the yips has come up on specific plays (his feet were a mess on his first and last throws of the first half against the Colts, and also the back-breaking pick he threw late), as the staff sees it," NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote for a piece published Tuesday afternoon. "The players have lost confidence in him as practice mistakes carry over into games. What’s best for everyone might be Jones getting a break." 

Media personality Colin Cowherd, MassLive Patriots reporter Mark Daniels and Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald are among those who previously mentioned that at least some of Jones' teammates had lost faith in the 25-year-old amid a second-consecutive disappointing season for the signal-caller. Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai later insisted that Jones "hasn't lost any of us on the team," but Breer clearly isn't buying what Tavai tried to sell last week. 

"The question then becomes whether Bill Belichick can keep the team locked in if he makes a quarterback change," Breer continued on Tuesday. "Which, I think, would be why he’d open the door this week and see whether Zappe or Grier can walk through it." 

The numbers, alone, show why Belichick could embrace what Breer called an "anyone but Mac" mentality for the Giants game. According to ESPN stats, the 2-8 Patriots enter Week 12 ranked 31st in the NFL with an average of 14.1 points per game. Meanwhile, Jones is ranked 25th out of 31 qualified players with a 40.1 adjusted QBR, and he's already been benched during three contests this season. 

Per Mike Reiss of ESPN, Belichick hinted on Tuesday morning he could wait until Sunday to reveal his QB1 for the upcoming showdown at MetLife Stadium. Considering all that sources allegedly close to the Patriots have said about Jones in recent weeks, Belichick may decide the 2021 first-round draft pick needs somewhat of a mental reset with the club out of playoff contention.