Mac Jones was so bad in Germany that he might get benched in America.
After being pulled for Bailey Zappe on the Patriots’ final drive in a 10-6 loss to the Colts in Frankfurt, Germany, head coach Bill Belichick declined to name a starting quarterback for the team’s next game against the Giants on Nov. 26 following their bye week.
“We’ll deal with next week next week,” Belichick told reporters.
Jones was benched after a costly fourth-quarter interception and multiple near-interceptions that helped drop the Patriots to a miserable 2-8 this season.
After one near-interception, the NFL Network broadcast showed offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien reaming Jones out on the sideline.
Jones ended the game 15-for-20 with 175 passing yards.
Zappe fared no better on the Patriots’ final drive, throwing a game-ending interception with 31 seconds left.
When asked if he had confidence in Jones as his quarterback, Belichick replied, “I have confidence in all my players.”
In Jones’ last drive of the game, the Patriots took over on their own 25-yard line with 8:54 remaining.
The team drove the ball down to the red zone, where the Alabama alum threw a brutal interception on second-and-12 on the Colts 15-yard line.
“It was a terrible throw,” Jones admitted following the loss.
Zappe was 3-for-7 with 25 yards.
Jones, who is in his third season, came into Sunday with 1,861 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and an NFL-high nine interceptions.
Zappe started two games for the Pats last season, appearing in four.
He went 65-for-92 with 781 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Will Grier and Malik Cunningham are other quarterback options on the Patriots’ roster.