FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Jones Fever doesn’t quite have the same ring or zing to it as Zappe Fever.
In fact, Jones doesn’t have much of a pulse right now. Zappe Fever is the rage.
Or is it?
Judging by how things played out at Gillette Stadium Monday night, Zappe Fever could very well be here to stay, if only by default.
After what transpired, it’s hard to believe Bill Belichick can turn back now, especially after yanking Mac Jones. Maybe that wasn’t his intention, maybe Mac is truly his guy, but it’s hard to ignore the abyss both quarterbacks have fallen into.
In any case, it’s a mess.
Bailey Zappe appears to be the man for better or worse, and right now, it’s worse on all counts. The Patriots lost 33-14 to the lowly Bears and didn’t look good in any phase of the game.
Their troubles extend beyond the quarterbacks, as the mighty Zappe couldn’t save the team on this night. The defense couldn’t get off the field (the Bears converted 11-of-18 chances on third down). They couldn’t stop Justin Fields and the league’s second-worst scoring offense, not to mention the worst passing offense.
“We didn’t have a lot of answers for anything,” Belichick said following the loss. “We didn’t play well in the kicking game. We didn’t play well on defense or offense. Obviously, we didn’t coach well. Pick whatever you want. You can say the same about every phase of our game.”
And Zappe, after a brief spark and flurry of scoring, did no better than Jones, as the Patriots fell below .500 with the loss. He led two touchdown drives, but also surrendered the ball with a fumbled handoff and two interceptions.
He finished the night completing 14 of 22 passes for 185 yards, a touchdown, and two picks. He looked to be exposed for the most part, as the Bears had all the answers after Zappe’s first two series.
“Can’t fall off like I did,” said Zappe. “I’ve got to make some throws. I’ve got to make better decisions on certain things.”
So the Fever ultimately took on a big chill, as neither quarterback could brag or boast about their respective performance.
The Patriots head coach had seemed to choose where his bread was buttered by starting Jones, which wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but when that didn’t work early on, gave the fans what they were pleading for from the start.
Belichick sat Jones after just three series, and Zappe came on in relief early in the second quarter, with the Bears leading 10-0 and Jones struggling mightily.
And their hero quickly turned the game around, putting the Patriots in the lead for what turned out to be a cup of coffee.
It was a bit magical, even for a short time, as the minute Zappe entered, the offense came alive.
It was interesting to hear Belichick say after the game that he didn’t bench Jones, although that’s sure how it seemed after the pick.
“I told the quarterbacks that we were going to play both of them, and that’s what we did,” said Belichick, adding, “you can write whatever you want to write. (A benching) is not what is was.”
Belichick said he could have gone back to Jones, but the score ultimately got out of hand. The trouble is now, even though Jones should be the starter, it’s hard to sell him as that after he was lifted in favor of Zappe after just three series.
When Zappe came in, the place lit up. For a time, it sure didn’t seem like the Patriots were going to eventually get blown out.
On his first series, he led a touchdown drive in just four plays, finishing with a 30-yard TD pass to Jakobi Meyers.
Zappe might have thrown it to the wrong side of a wide open Meyers, but the receiver turned in mid-air and made a great play to catch the ball, and lunge into the end zone.
Gillette Stadium went nuts, and continued to roar during his second series, as he hit DeVante Parker with a 43-yard bomb. Parker made a spectacular catch down the left side, grabbing the ball between two defenders to set up the next touchdown and go-ahead score.
No one was making plays when Jones (3 for 6, 13 yards, 1 pick) was in the game.
But the second Zappe came in, the Patriots started making highlight-reel plays. It can’t be an accident. Zappe does have something that inspires his teammates.
But that was short-lived.
After those brief highlights, it was back to a tractor pull for the offense. Zappe couldn’t produce any more, looked no better than Jones, and the defense couldn’t stop Fields.
And now, Jones, the team’s first-round pick who had an unprecedented rookie season last year, is stuck in no man’s land.
The fandom booed his every move. He’s definitely not the popular choice in Patriot Nation, at least by those who packed the stadium Monday Night.
But then again, the fans were also agitated by game’s end, with the offense mustering only 14 points and Zappe seemingly exposed.
So who’s going to be the starter next week?
Who knows, because right now, we’re looking at a full-blown quarterback controversy.
Belichick will obviously do what he thinks is best for the team going forward. But the way it was set up, Jones had to score every time he touched the ball, in order to stop the clamor for his understudy to play.
And the first half couldn’t have gone much worse for Jones, who was four weeks removed from suffering a high ankle sprain.
He started with a pair of three and outs. Then on the third series, after finally moving the ball, threw a bad pick.
Jones had seemed skittish and unsettled in the pocket throughout, taking off at the first sign of trouble. Before throwing the interception, Jones had more rushing yards (24) than passing yards (13).
He wasn’t able to get comfortable, because Belichick had already seen enough. He spoke to Jones on the sideline after the interception and made the switch to Zappe, who had won two straight games, and drawn a legion of fans in the process.
As it was, there was ton of pressure on Jones to try and combat Zappe Fever. And the fans let him know it, starting the Zappe chants in the first quarter.
But it wasn’t all rosy for the fourth-round wunderkind and third-string quarterback. A botched handoff between Zappe and Meyers led to a fumble recovery and score by the Bears before the half.
Zappe, who isn’t the tallest quarterback, also had four passes batted, one that led to a second half interception.
In the end, neither quarterback benefited from having a run game (70 yards on 19 rushes), and the offensive line, Trent Brown in particular, struggled.
With the 5-2 Jets on deck next week, the Pats, who sit in last place in the AFC East, really need to put their best foot forward to try and keep within shouting distance in the division.
And it’s on a short week.
So who will be under center?
Belichick wouldn’t say.
Zappe sure didn’t know. And neither did Jones.
“I guess when Sunday comes, we’ll know,” said Jones.
Your move, Bill.
