Who will start at quarterback for the New England Patriots on Sunday against the New York Giants?
When it comes to that question, it has been like pulling teeth for reporters to get any direction on where the Patriots, who have been tight-lipped on the situation, are leaning ahead of the game. However, quarterback Mac Jones might have answered the ongoing mystery, when speaking with media members on Wednesday.
“I hope so. That’s the plan, I think,” Jones said, when asked if he was starting on Sunday. “I always work really hard for that, really put a lot of attention in detail in the week, like I talked about. And a lot of the decision-making is things I can’t control, but I can control my attitude and my effort, like I talked about. I’m really thankful, overall, just to be in the NFL and be playing quarterback. And Thanksgiving, right? It’s a great week to be grateful for a lot of things.”
QB Mac Jones asked if he is starting this week and about a possible QB competition. @wbz @Patriots pic.twitter.com/rMpWy2i56c
— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) November 22, 2023
Jones didn’t outright say he’s going to be the starter on Sunday because—as even he alluded to—he doesn’t make those decisions.
But it’s also hard to imagine any other scenario unfolding with Bailey Zappe, Will Grier and Malik Cunningham not receiving the brunt of the first-team reps at practice. If the Patriots really were moving in a different direction, those players would need that extra work on the field.
So far, it has been business as usual with Jones taking first-team reps and getting press conference duties. If nothing has changed during the week, it’s hard to envision anything changing on Sunday.