Chaos follows Germany’s defeat by the Colts as the desperate New England Patriots bench Mac Jones

In the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots’ defeat to the Indianapolis Colts, head coach Bill Belichick benched starting quarterback Mac Jones after he threw one interception.

The New England Patriots lost to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, and they will now go into their NFL bye week.

In the last game of the 2023 NFL International Series, played at Deutsche Bank Park in Germany, home of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt, the Patriots were defeated 10–6 by the Colts. With the game’s lone touchdown scored by running back Jonathan Taylor, the Colts handed the Patriots their eighth defeat of the year.

With nearly two weeks until their next game, Belichick will therefore likely be under more pressure. The 71-year-old, who has six Super Bowl victories in the last 20 years, has served as the team’s head coach and de facto general manager since 2000.

The Patriots’ current season record is 2-8, marking the first time since Belichick’s first year as head coach in 2000 that the team has had that result. The New England Patriots’ next game is against the New York Giants on November 26.

Mac Jones, the quarterback for the Patriots, began the afternoon on the sidelines but ended it in Frankfurt. Trailing by four points with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter, Belichick made the decision to bench Jones and start backup quarterback Bailey Zappe.

Jones completed 15 of 20 passes for 170 yards, one interception, and no touchdowns. The Colts defense also sacked Jones five times in the first half. For the Patriots, each half ended with a single field goal.

Belichick gave an explanation for his decision to bench Jones in favor of Zappe, but his answer was characteristically direct.

Following Sunday’s match in Germany, Belichick told reporters in a press conference, “I just thought it was time for a change.”

It was a decision that I had made. Next week is what we’ll take care of.

“Next week, we’ll worry about next week.” “The game ended about 30 minutes ago,” Belichick said in response to a question concerning Jones’s potential as the team’s long-term starting quarterback.

When the Colts defeated the team, Belichick was visibly upset. The head coach of the Patriots discussed how he saw patterns that were similar to earlier defeats this season and why it left him wondering what could have happened if the offense had taken more risks on the field.

Belichick remarked, “Obviously, a disappointing game.” We’ve seen a similar theme in other games this year. There were far too many lost chances in the game’s three phases. We simply need to improve our situational football game and better utilize the opportunities that were presented to us.