What Mac Jones Told Bailey Zappe, Patriots Teammates After Benching

Mac Jones apparently took his latest benching in stride.

The Patriots quarterback was pulled from Sunday’s game in Frankfurt, Germany, after throwing a goal-line interception on New England’s penultimate drive. A touchdown would’ve given the Patriots a late lead over the Colts, but Jones instead threw the game away and his team went on to suffer a 10-6 loss.

After New England’s defense stopped the Indianapolis offense, Bill Belichick turned backup Bailey Zappe for the final drive. One of NFL Network’s sideline reporters — Stacey Dales or Sara Walsh — revealed the message that Jones told Zappe and his teammates while giving them high-fives before the final drive.

“Go win it,” Jones reportedly said to each member of the offense.

Zappe eventually threw a game-ending interception that left New England with a stunning 2-8 record. The Patriots now will go on their bye week.

If reports of Bill Belichick holding onto his job for the rest of the season are true, Jones will be the top Patriots storyline over the next two weeks. It’s entirely possible he’s started his last game for New England.

“We’ll deal with next week, next week,” Belichick said during his postgame news conference.

The Patriots will return on Nov. 26 when they visit the New York Giants.