The patience of New England Patriots fans with second-year quarterback Mac Jones is ending. After two horrific drives to open the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the fans started to boo the offense and call for Jones to be benched in favor of rookie Bailey Zappe.
The game started with two punts for the Patriots when they did not have a single completion. After another three-and-out, the chants for Zappe started to get louder in the stadium. The Bengals were leading 12-0 with two touchdown drives where Joe Burrow completed 100% of their passes at the time.
Mac Jones regressed badly in his second season after a solid rookie year where he took New England to the playoffs. He had to overcome Tom Brady’s shadow, but he did a good job in his first year. Things, however, went completely downhill after Matt Patricia took over the offensive coordinator duties.
Who is Bailey Zappe? Patriots fans want the rookie quarterback to play
Zappe is a rookie quarterback out of Western Kentucky who got drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has already started two games for New England this season due to injuries to Jones and veteran backup quarterback Brian Hoyer.
Zappe threw five touchdowns and three interceptions in the four games he appeared in 2022 – he also relieved Hoyer and Jones in different moments of the season. The offense has been more functional with him under center and, with Jones struggling massively over the last few weeks, it seems that Patriots fans want to give the rookie a shot as the real leader.
