It appears the Bailey Zappe era is coming to an end (for now) in New England.
According to a report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Mac Jones — who has been dealing with a high ankle sprain for the past few weeks — will apparently be ready for the Patriots’ pending primetime matchup with the Bears. Per Reiss, Jones just has to clear some “final hurdles” in practice before his return to the lineup is made official.
Should Jones indeed officially come back on Monday night, it’ll undoubtedly be a welcome return for a Patriots team that’s won two straight while outscoring their opponents 67-15.
That said, while a healthy Jones might boost the Patriots further, it won’t save us from the likely terrible football soon to be played against Chicago. Even if Bill Belichick “thinks” the current 2-4 Bears are actually “good,” that’s not enough to convince me we won’t see some measure of an awful game on Monday night. Prepare yourselves for the worst to come.
NFL fans had lots of thoughts about Mac Jones' potential return vs. the Bears Monday night
Mac was 8th in epa accumulated on qb runs before he got hurt. His red zone scrambles were very valuable. Will be interesting to track with his ankle https://t.co/osUASNcJNW
— Kenny Lofton 🤺 (@AnthonyWebster_) October 20, 2022
Sure hope he’s not rushing it. We’ve seen other QBs return while dealing with lingering effects from a high ankle sprain and struggle (think: Jalen Hurts late last year, who ultimately underwent surgery in the post-season). https://t.co/Kvi5MRZeL6
— Stephania Bell (@Stephania_ESPN) October 20, 2022
statement night https://t.co/i1lvn0kpKm pic.twitter.com/zS6Bi17kpT
— – (@tatumvp_) October 20, 2022
What was your favorite moment in the #BaileyZappeEra? https://t.co/uvovLK8SnC
— lindsey ok (@lindseyyok) October 20, 2022
Well we’ll see what happens with Mac back. I’d love him to have a solid game, get a W, stop the picks, and we move on. The OL needs to keep performing. They have been key. https://t.co/ZIR2lncfHi
— Anthony Curtis (@AnthonyCurtis68) October 20, 2022
Mac vs JF1 https://t.co/BCwONhxbHX pic.twitter.com/LKXgaQmfs6
— Chris Yacoub (@CYacoub713) October 20, 2022
Justin Fields is 1-0 vs QBs taken in the 2021 draft https://t.co/JvtoAGJbeD
— John Stark (@jstark1007) October 20, 2022
I’d stick with Zappe if I were them https://t.co/wHgoVA98u9
— Jake (@JSamulakCLE) October 20, 2022
First time we’re hearing of an actual timeline for Mac Jones’ return but Bill Belichick still kept the door open on when and how any decision will be made. If Mac clears that last hurdle, he should get his starting job back. https://t.co/z1rvdfWJJ2
— George Balekji (@GeorgeBalekji) October 20, 2022
Please start Zappe https://t.co/tFPxo27cta
— Devon Stephens (@CesalSosa) October 20, 2022
