Bill Belichick states confidence in ‘pretty mentally tough’ Mac Jones to bounce back in Week 5

Belichick indicated a sign of confidence in Jones’ ability to bounce back when asked what he’s seen from him in the past following not-so-good performances.

“Anybody who plays or coaches in this league has not-so-good performances somewhere along the line,” Belichick told reporters on Friday. “So, part of the job, part of the situation, every week’s a new week. Mac’s pretty mentally tough. So is everybody else around here. I mean, you have to be in this league.

In addition to Jones receiving blame for the Patriots’ 1-3 start, much of the discussion surrounding New England this week questioned if Jones should be the starting quarterback for the team moving forward.

While Belichick has implied that Jones will be the Patriots’ starting quarterback, he signaled that he or anyone else who continues to struggle will likely lose their jobs.

“If it just goes from bad to worse, then you’re not going to be around very long,” Belichick said. “We all get knocked down, got to get up and go back in the ring.”

The 2023 season was widely viewed as a vital one for Jones and his long-term future with the Patriots. Following a solid rookie season, Jones struggled in Year 2, throwing for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 14 games as the Patriots went 8-9.

Jones appeared to have some bright spots in the first three games of the season. Even though the Patriots were 1-2 in that stretch, Jones ranked in the top 10 in passing yards and touchdowns entering Week 4 as he helped New England remain close in losses to a pair of contenders.

But after the loss to Dallas, Jones’ efficiency stats have cratered. His completion percentage (63.7), yards per attempt (6.2), and passer rating (80.8) are all currently at career lows.

If Jones continues to put a career-low pace in several areas, he could get benched. The Patriots currently have two backups on the roster, Bailey Zappe and Will Grier. While Belichick called Grier “sharp” and “athletic” with a “good arm,” he shared that Zappe is still the primary backup as Grier just signed with the team two weeks ago.

“I think we just take it week by week here, and I think before you can really, realistically, get in there and play, you’ve got to have a pretty good command and understanding of the offense, play calling, be able to let the other 10 people do their jobs,” Belichick said when asked if Grier is competing with Zappe. “But, again, Will’s sharp and he’s picking things up pretty quickly. I mean, if we had an emergency and we had to put him in there, I think, yeah, we could try to get him ready.

“But, I mean, the other two guys are just further along at this point.”