New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had a particularly rough showing against the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
And it wasn’t just because of his throwing performance, which featured him going 3-of-6 for 13 yards and an interception before getting yanked in favor of Bailey Zappe.
During Jones’ brief stint in the game, he participated in a sequence of events that drew the ire of players, fans and NFL legends alike.
The play in question involved a scramble where Jones slid cleats up, with his spikes hitting Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker right in the groin:
“That’s why D-linemen don’t like quarterbacks.”
Peyton breaks down Mac Jones’ QB slide 😭 pic.twitter.com/9AeW1UlhZQ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 25, 2022
The reactions from ex-NFL players started pouring immediately:
Got em back. Mac a dirty mf for this too.
— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) October 25, 2022
Dirty ass shit man https://t.co/SrzPuMtnIz
— Marcus Spears (@mspears96) October 25, 2022
They weren’t the only ones upset, though. Fans took to social media to call for Jones’ suspension:
Mac Jones should be suspended for life
— Garret (5-1) (@FBallAnalysisYT) October 25, 2022
Mac jones needs to be suspended
— F – SUPER BOWL LVI CHAMPIONS (3-3) (@itsjustaF) October 25, 2022
Mac Jones purposefully kicked Jaquan Brisker in the balls during a slide before he got benched, bringing back memories of Tom Brady on Ed Reed. This will certainly be a fine, but will he be suspended for this? #Patriots #Bears #MNF #NFL pic.twitter.com/nDpUVSevK7
— ƆNlsИC (@skinnypupp) October 25, 2022
Time will tell what direction the league office ultimately chooses to go in, but obviously this isn’t a great look for Jones.
In a way, the drama surrounding him and Zappe and who should lead the Patriots from here is serving him well, because it is outshining how blatantly dirty that particular play was.
Jones came into this season with a lot of hype, but so far he has generated more headlines for his injuries, unsavory plays and his girlfriend’s provocative vacation photos than any substantive on-the-field production.
Zappe has obviously been in the news cycle for off-the-field stuff like his girlfriend’s wild outfits as well, but in addition to that, he has also produced on the field a lot more than his counterpart.
At this point, if Jones does get suspended, would it even matter? Is New England preparing to make Zappe the starter going forward either way?
Paige Spiranac took her Halloween costume game to a new level in 2022. https://t.co/XGsUoQHVRg
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 24, 2022
The Patriots have been in a mild state of disarray ever since Tom Brady left town.
That doesn’t look like it will be changing any time soon.
Will Jones get penalized for what he did against Brisker? Time will tell.
Related: Did Lakers’ Russell Westbrook Deliberately Take Bad Shot? (Video)
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
