Patriots' Bill Belichick avoids unsettled quarterback situation

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick still isn't ready to name his starting quarterback coming off this past Sunday's 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany that dropped New England to 2-8 ahead of its bye. 

"We have a lot of things to work on as a team and we’ll work through those," Belichick responded when asked about the situation on Tuesday, per Matt Vautour of MassLive. "That’s what we’re going to do this week." 

Belichick has now benched Jones on three occasions this season, most recently after the 25-year-old threw a brutal interception in the fourth quarter of the Indianapolis game. Bailey Zappe may have done himself no favors by tossing a pick of his own in the contest's final minute, but Belichick could use the extended break to get either Zappe or fellow backup Will Grier ready to face the New York Giants (2-8) on Nov. 26. 

"The first thing we’ll do today is talk about the Colt game and talk about the corrections and some of the things we need to do," Belichick said about his plans for Tuesday. "That’s the emphasis today." 

Belichick was also asked if he still has confidence in Jones. 

"I have confidence in all of our players," the coach insisted.

Plenty goes into the decision regarding Jones' status for the rest of what seems to be a lost season for the organization, especially if it's true that at least some teammates have lost faith in him since the start of the 2022 campaign. 

The Patriots must exercise or decline the fifth-year option attached to Jones' rookie contract next spring, and it's widely believed that Belichick won't be involved in making that call. Team owner Robert Kraft has repeatedly supported Jones, but that may mean little to Belichick if the 71-year-old is already thinking about leaving the club as soon as the Monday after the regular season concludes. 

According to ESPN stats, Jones has thrown the second-most interceptions (10, tied with Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers) in the NFL this season and began Tuesday ranked 26th in the league among qualified players with a 38.9 adjusted QBR on the campaign. 

Most outsiders would understand if Belichick wanted to give Zappe a shot to face the woeful Giants, but Kraft may want to see if Jones can turn things around against an opponent that was non-competitive across its past two games.