Mac Jones made his return to the New England Patriots starting line-up on Monday night against the Chicago Bears, but head coach Bill Belichick has played down his decision to withdraw him after just one quarter.
After missing three games with a high ankle sprain, Jones was plunged back into the starting line-up with Bailey Zappe looking on from the bench. Zappe was the Patriot's third-choice quarterback at the start of the season, but has shone in recent weeks.
Zappe's rise has come out of nowhere, and it's put unexpected pressure on Jones to perform. Jones had a nightmare start to the game on Monday as he threw and interception at the end of his second unsuccessful drive, but Belichick's decision to remove him was not 'performance based'.
