After some early struggles to start the season, Mac Jones will be kept on a short leash Sunday when the Patriots face the Raiders, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. If he does not perform well in the first couple of drives, Bill Belichick might replace him with another quarterback
Both Bailey Zappe and Will Grier split reps this week and it’s unclear who the No. 2 is as of now. The team also signed Malik Cunningham, an undrafted free agent, to the roster this week and he could also be an option under center.
Zappe has seen action the last two weeks after New England benched Jones in the second half of back-to-back blowout losses. Jones, a former firs-round draft pick, is coming off one of his worst performances in recent memory.
Against the Saints in Week 5, Jones threw for just 110 yards and tallied two interceptions—one of them being a pick-six. Zappe went 3-for-9 in his limited time on the field during the Patriots’ 34–0 loss.
In his third season out of Alabama, Jones has thrown for 1,008 yards while completing 62.5% of his passes. However, he has tallied just five touchdowns to six interceptions and New England currently sits at the bottom of the AFC East with a 1–4 record.
Jones will fight for the win and his job Sunday with kick off against the Raiders (2–3) scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday on CBS.
