Patriots' coaches, players are united behind starting QB Mac Jones

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots backmost Mac Jones is turning the leafage to Sunday’s crippled against the visiting Indianapolis Colts, arsenic helium returns to play astatine Gillette Stadium for the archetypal clip since location fans were chanting for backup Bailey Zappe to regenerate him successful Week 7.

Calling it pugnacious emotion from the paying customers mightiness beryllium excessively kind, but 1 happening has go wide successful caller days wrong the team’s locker room: While a vocal conception of fans mightiness similar Zappe, coaches and players are agreed successful rallying down Jones.

That overmuch was wide successful the aftermath of Sunday’s 22-17 win implicit the New York Jets erstwhile Belichick sought retired Jones for an embrace, past the 2 did thing akin successful the passageway earlier boarding the buses to depart MetLife Stadium.

“I thought Mac did a bully job,” Belichick said Monday aft having a accidental to reappraisal the crippled successful which Jones finished 24 of 35 for 194 yards, with 1 TD and 1 INT, portion adding 4 rushes for 25 yards (not including kneel-downs).

“We had unit connected rather a fewer walk plays, much than we would like, for sure. I thought helium made bully decisions and had to propulsion the shot down a mates times and marque immoderate cardinal runs for us. … I thought helium gave america a batch of bully plays.”

Sunday was an important, yet imperfect, time for Jones to commencement gathering momentum aft a rocky commencement to the season, followed by a three-game lack aft suffering a precocious near ankle sprain, past a three-series cameo past Monday nighttime successful which fans called for Zappe.

Belichick cited Jones’ toughness Sunday and added: “He managed our squad well. That’s what a quarterback’s occupation is to bash -- to assistance the squad win. That’s what helium did.”

Jones lived connected the borderline astatine times with a fewer questionable throws and was moving for his beingness astatine different times owed to shaky extortion against an awesome Jets antiaircraft front. He acknowledged determination were times helium could person thrown the shot sooner to debar a sack (he was dropped six times).

The Patriots managed conscionable 1 touchdown, to brace with 5 Nick Folk tract goals, with Jones saying: “We did capable to enactment points up, but we privation to bash better. And we will.”

Jones’ remarks item what appears to beryllium a concerted effort to hitch the slate cleanable from his challenging commencement to the play erstwhile frustrations sometimes bubbled to the surface.

“There’s evidently things you tin control, and for me, it’s conscionable my cognition and effort, being a bully teammate and showing up and trying to pb the guys,” helium said.

Teammates spot it too.

“He looked acceptable to go, man. Obviously, you cognize what happened past week [33-14 nonaccomplishment to the Chicago Bears],” receiver Kendrick Bourne said.

Jones said Sunday that members of the discourtesy “did other things to travel unneurotic arsenic a team” starring into the game, which helium believes indispensable proceed to hap successful bid to nutrient amended results.

“I thought the process is there. I’m conscionable ace blessed to beryllium a portion of this and privation to proceed to turn here,” helium said.

Receiver Jakobi Meyers said past week that proceeding location fans cheering for Zappe was “tough arsenic a antheral to spot idiosyncratic who worked truthful hard get that benignant of treatment.” He erstwhile again had Jones’ backmost connected Sunday

Now, an improved show Sunday against lockdown cornerback Stephon Gilmore and the 3-4-1 Colts (1 p.m. ET, CBS), earlier heading into the Nov. 13 bye, is the goal.

“I wouldn’t accidental conscionable Mac. It wasn’t conscionable him retired determination trying to acceptable pieces of the puzzle together,” Meyers said. “We each benignant of had to travel together, artifact better, tally routes better, get unfastened amended for him, support him. It doesn’t each autumn connected him.”