usatsi-mac-jones-patriots.jpg

After the drama of catching his own players by surprise at using both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe at quarterback in the New England Patriots' 33-14 home loss on "Monday Night Football" in Week 7, head coach Bill Belichick has settled on starting Jones, their 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and 2021 Offensive Player of the Year runner-up, on the road against the 5-2 New York Jets this Sunday. Jones took roughly 90% of the first-teams reps in practice on Wednesday, according to ESPN

Earlier on Wednesday, Belichick evaded questions about who his quarterback was going to be in Week 8 and going forward, repeatedly using the phrase, "We'll see how it goes today." On Thursday, he cleared it up, confirming Jones will be back under center. Either way, it's a big decision for Belichick, who with a win can extend his winning streak against the Jets to 13 in a row, and he can earn his 325th career win, which would allow him to  surpass Hall of Famer George Halas for the second-most wins by a head coach in NFL history.

Jones missing Weeks 4-6 with an ankle injury opened the door for Zappe, a rookie fourth round pick out of Western Kentucky who set NCAA single-season records for passing yards (5,987) and passing touchdowns (62) in 2021, to see the field this season. The rookie completed 72.9% of his passes for 596 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in Jones' absence. His first three games came in a Week 4 overtime loss at the Green Bay Packers in relief of an injured Brian Hoyer, and then in wins against the Detroit Lions in Week 5 and at the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. 

Belichick opted to start Jones after three weeks off on Monday against the Bears, and he showed a lot of rust, completing three of his six passes for 13 yards and an interception. The turnover occurred after the Patriots' went three-and-out on their first two drives of the game. The home crowd began to chant "Zappe! Zappe!" after the two punts and before Jones' interception, and Belichick granted their request. New England scored touchdowns on Zappe's first two drives, including his 30-yard pass to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. However, the night quickly soured for the rookie as he committed three turnovers, two interceptions and a lost fumble. 

Jones won both of his starts against Gang Green as a rookie, averaging 246.5 passing yards in the two games while throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions. However, the 2021 Jets had the NFL's worst scoring defense, allowing 29.7 points per game. The 2022 Jets have take a gigantic step forward, allowing 10,1 fewer points per game this season (19.6), which ranks as the 10th-best scoring defense in the entire league. Week 8 will be critical for the direction of Jones' future in New England as the team has lost seven of his last nine starts after they won nine of his first 13 in 2021.