Mac Jones

After missing three games due to a high right ankle sprain, New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is expected to start Monday night's game against the ...

Thereafter, rookie [Bailey Zappe](/players/bailey-zappe/) took over under center and quarterbacked the Pats to consecutive victories. [Brian Hoyer](/players/brian-hoyer/) originally took on the starting role, but he too was lost to injury when he was [concussed in a Week 4 loss](https://www.nfl.com/news/patriots-qb-brian-hoyer-head-injury-rookie-bailey-zappe-packers) to the Green Bay Packers. [Mac Jones](https://www.nfl.com/players/mac-jones/) is expected to start [Monday night's game](https://www.nfl.com/games/bears-at-patriots-2022-reg-7) against the visiting Chicago Bears, NFL Network's Mike Giardi reported.

It's the return of the Mac. After missing New England's previous three games due to a high ankle sprain, quarterback Mac Jones will start for the Patriots ...

Initially, [Brian Hoyer](/nfl/players/517243/brian-hoyer/) was slated to replace him as the Patriots' starter, but he suffered a concussion in Week 4 against the [Packers](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/GB/green-bay-packers/) at Lambeau Field, which thrust Zappe into action. In the three games Zappe played during Jones' absence, the rookie completed 72.9% of his passes to go with a 111.4 passer rating. Even in the Week 4 loss to Green Bay, Zappe kept New England in the game and helped take the game to overtime. Rookie quarterback [Bailey Zappe](/nfl/players/2866483/bailey-zappe/), who started the previous two games in Jones' absence, will back him up. Jones' return to the lineup was trending in this direction throughout the week. [Mac Jones](/nfl/players/2741202/mac-jones/) [View Profile](/nfl/players/2741202/mac-jones/)

The Patriots left their starting quarterback decision between Jones and Zappe a mystery as long as possible.

The Bears traded the Patriots a 2023 seventh-round pick for the former first-round choice in July. Jones has struggled this season, losing two of the three games that he started and posting a lowly passer rating of 76.2. The Bears prepared for both quarterbacks.

The Patriots have turned the ball over on a quarter of their drives with Jones at QB.

Still, with this game on the road and the Jazz playing their third road game in four nights, I'm more comfortable taking the money line than the spread. The Patriots rank 24th in the The Rockets rank last in the league in net rating and have been abysmal on the defensive end. The Pick: Knicks -7.5 (-110) -- I haven't had a chance to bet NBA games in the newsletter yet this season, partially by design but also due to scheduling. The Pick: Jazz (-130) -- The Jazz are supposed to be bad and tanking after trading Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell during the summer, but guess what? [Justin Fields](/nfl/players/1273205/justin-fields/) hasn't done much better, but he and the Bears aren't coming into this game as 8.5-point favorites. [NFL](/nfl/) in offensive success rate, while the Bears are 31st. I only reside in the city with a lot of television viewers who love their terrible football team and love to watch their terrible football team. In other words, it took better care of the ball, resulting in more points. The Houston Astros swept the Yankees in the ALCS. [Check out the details of this trade the Panthers reportedly turned down](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/panthers-rejected-massive-nfl-trade-offer-that-included-two-first-round-picks-for-star-player-per-report/). With their win Sunday night, Houston has improved to 7-0 this postseason after finishing the regular season with the best record in the American League.

Patriots inactives · DT Christian Barmore · S Joshuah Bledsoe · WR Kendrick Bourne · RB Kevin Harris · LB Josh Uche · CB Shaun Wade · OT Isaiah Wynn.

Not among them is wide receiver N’Keal Harry; the former Patriots first-round draft pick will make his Bears regular season debut. Both were listed as questionable heading into Monday, and have been deemed unable to suit up; Marcus Cannon will replace Wynn in the lineup, with Bourne’s role as WR3/4 likely to be split between Agholor and Tyquan Thornton. [New England Patriots](https://www.patspulpit.com/) will kick off their seventh game of the regular season.

The New England Patriots have officially activated quarterback Mac Jones for Monday's Week 7 matchup with the Chicago Bears.

A win is desperately needed for the Patriots to remain competitive in a rapidly improving AFC East division. It’ll be interesting to see how the reps are divided up with Stevenson leading the team in rushing yards and Harris coming off an injury. So it’ll be Jones’ first game back since injuring his ankle in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens.

When Brian Hoyer suffered a concussion in the first quarter of the Patriots' Week 4 game against the Packers, many assumed that New England was going to be ...

Clearly, Belichick believed that he would need time to develop, so his performance in limited action was a pleasant surprise. He led the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth in his first season as a starter. It's unusual for Belichick to be that complimentary of any player, let alone a young quarterback. So, while Zappe may not have the same upside as Jones, he appears to be a good fit for the New England offense. That physical profile should allow Jones to be a better downfield passer than Zappe over time, and that would give the Patriots' offense more explosive potential. In just looking at the 2022 stats, one would assume that Belichick would want to roll with Zappe. Zappe has won each of his two starts and helped the Patriots keep things close against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in an overtime defeat. He had room for improvement on deep balls and did prove interception-prone against top-flight defenses — he threw 13 in total — but he showed more than enough to be considered a potential long-term starter for the Patriots. Jones stands at 6-3 compared to Zappe's 6-0 and has a stronger arm than the Western Kentucky product. The Patriots had already lost Mac Jones to a high-ankle sprain, so all that they had left on the roster was third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe. That said, he was thought to be a developmental project given his lack of high-end experience. Instead, he proved ready to contribute to the Patriots' success.

The Patriots went 1-2 with Jones as their starter as he passed for 786 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. Zappe won the two games he started ...

His performance left a question about whether the Patriots would go with the hot hand when Jones was ready to return. [did not activate](https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/10/24/patriots-dont-promote-garrett-gilbert-for-monday-nights-game/) Garrett Gilbert from the practice squad in time to dress for Monday Night Football. Zappe passed for 596 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.

The Patriots made a final decision on Mac Jones ahead of their Week 7 Monday Night Football game vs the Bears.

Zappe went 51-70 through the air in 3 games for New England before Monday night, winning both of his starts. The contributions of Bailey Zappe were not overlooked despite Mac Jones’ return. This final confirmation on Mac Jones’ status excited Patriots fans, but not as much as Zappe’s play on his first two drives against the Bears. The rookie immediately responded with a touchdown drive, throwing the New England crowd into a frenzy. Backup QB Bailey Zappe played well in his absence, but Jones was ready to roll for this Week 7 affair. After a pair of three-and-outs and an interception, the Patriots subbed in Zappe.

The Patriots are off to a rough start on Monday night, as they host the Chicago Bears in Week 7.

[Click Here](https://www.si.com/nfl/patriots/news) Otherwise, it could be a long, foggy night in Foxboro. Choosing to run on 3rd & 10 at their own 21 drew a loud chorus of boos from the crowd at Gillette Stadium. Still, things were about to get worse. Zappe hit Jakobi Meyers with a 30-yard scoring strike. They are