FOXBORO — As anticipated, Mac Jones returned to start out for the Patriots on Monday evening.
His restoration from a excessive ankle sprain was roughly full at 4 weeks, proper on schedule. He had practiced all week with the beginning offense. Monday’s opening coin toss dictated possession belonged to the Patriots, and so the ball was his.
But what occurred subsequent, nearly every little thing that occurred subsequent, was sudden.
Jones steered the Patriots right into a pair of three-and-outs and a nasty turnover. The Pats in some way trailed the toothless Bears 10-0. Then, Bill Belichick pulled Jones for rookie Bailey Zappe, who fired one landing move and directed one other scoring drive.
In simply seven snaps, the Fever had returned, with chants of “Zap-pe! Zap-pe!” echoing inside Gillette Stadium. Yet as quickly because it returned, Zappe Fever cooled, because the Patriots went scoreless over the second half of their worst lack of the season.
Because the evening belonged to a different quarterback: Justin Fields, who shredded Belichick’s protection like few might have predicted.
Fields handed for 179 yards, rushed for 82 extra and scored two touchdowns whereas main a surprising 33-14 Bears rout. The Patriots protection allowed a season-high 243 speeding yards and compelled simply two punts all evening. Offensively, the Pats dedicated 4 turnovers, unable to determine any type of rhythm outdoors of two spectacular catches underpinning Zappe’s success.
The rookie completed 14-of-22 for 185 yards, one landing and two interceptions. Jones went 3-of-6 for 13 yards and a decide, by no means taking a snap after his exit.
The Bears led 10-0 after the primary quarter, their loaded-box protection halting the Patriots’ run recreation and Fields powering in a 3-yard speeding landing. Meanwhile, Jones scrambled 3 times in his first seven dropbacks and gained virtually double the yards speeding (24) as he did passing. His final move try of the half, thrown off his again foot, was a lame duck down the proper sideline that discovered Bears rookie security Jaquan Brisker.
Enter Zappe.
After the Patriots protection notched its solely three-and-out of the evening, Zappe hit two brief completions round a Damien Harris run and whipped out a play-action faux on his fourth snap. Standing on this planet’s roomiest pocket, he lofted a 30-yard move to Jakobi Meyers, who dove to safe the catch and rolled into the top zone.
A Fields interception then adopted, permitting Zappe to drop a 43-yard bomb to DeVante Parker alongside the proper sideline on the subsequent play. Two snaps later, Patriots operating again Rhamondre Stevenson (39 yards) coasted in for a 4-yard landing.
Though the Pats completed with simply 70 speeding yards, and the Bears scored on their subsequent 5 possessions, beginning with a 25-yard Fields landing move to operating again Khalil Herbert and a 23-yard subject purpose simply earlier than halftime for a 20-14 lead.
Bears kicker Cairo Santos later hit subject objectives of 38 and 50 yards within the third quarter. Bears operating again David Montgomery capped the scoring with a 10-yard speeding landing at 12:17 remaining. At final, having bullied Belichick’s bunch all evening, Chicago mercifully kneeled the clock out contained in the Patriots’ 10-yard line, leaving the group and its followers heading for the exits to marvel what might probably come subsequent.
Here have been the most effective and worst Patriot performances from Monday:
Best
OLB Matt Judon The greatest first half by a pass-rusher in current franchise historical past. Judon completed with 2.5 sacks, three QB hits and a move deflection.
Worst
QB include Fields ran wild over a Patriots protection designed particularly to cease him. The Pats performed an uncommon quantity of zone and regularly deployed seven defensive backs.
OT Trent Brown The Pats’ hulking left sort out was flagged 3 times earlier than their eighth offensive play, with two holds and one false begin. He was later known as for tripping.
P Jake Bailey None of Bailey’s punts have been downed contained in the 20 and he had bother skying them.
Source: www.bostonherald.com