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Belichick, Jones & Zappe Create QB Controversy

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FOXBORO – If the New England Patriots didn’t have a quarterback controversy before Monday night’s game, they certainly do now — and coach Bill Belichick, predictably, made no attempt to douse it the morning after.

Rookie Bailey Zappe replaced Mac Jones after three series in the Patriots’ loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Jones guided New England to just 51 yards of net offense, but Belichick said after the game that Jones wasn’t removed for performance. However, he also said it wasn’t a medical decision.

Further, Belichick said Jones knew going in that he wasn’t going to play the whole game.

Belichick was asked Tuesday morning if Jones would be the starter moving forward, if healthy.

“That’s a hypothetical question,” Belichick said. “So let’s see where that is and what that is.”

Belichick was then asked if Jones was healthy enough to keep playing after 18 snaps against the Bears.

“Well, that didn’t happen,” Belichick said. “So that’s another hypothetical question.”

Zappe threw for 185 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions in relief of Jones, playing the rest of the game.

While Jones said postgame he knew the plan was for both QBs to play, Zappe wasn’t as succinct.

“If that decision was made for me to go in, then I was gonna go out there and do the best for my team,” Zappe said Monday night.

Leading to the scrutiny of a pre-plan for a two-QB night was that Jones was pulled after throwing an interception. Jones threw for just 13 yards and rushed for another 24 in his three series.

“Part of the plan, I think coach Belichick did a really really good job explaining it to me, I knew what the plan was,” Jones said. “The timing’s the timing, but we’re on the same page and there’s no hard feelings. I wish I had played better while I was in there.”

The Patriots (3-4) visit the New York Jets (5-2) in Week 8.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Fields Leads Bears, 33-14

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FOXBORO – Justin Fields ran for one touchdown and threw for another, David Montgomery added another rushing score and the Chicago Bears ended a three-game losing streak with a 33-14 victory over the New England Patriots on Monday night. Fields threw for 179 yards and ran for another 82 as he delivered the victory mere hours after general manager Ryan Poles said the team’s quarterback was showing signs of growth. The effort was helped by Chicago’s defense, which forced four turnovers.

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Cairo Santos made four field goals for the Bears, who reeled off the game’s final 23 points starting late in the second quarter. Chicago entered with five consecutive defeats against New England.

Bailey Zappe threw for 185 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions in relief of Mac Jones, who struggled in his return from a high ankle sprain. Jones guided New England to just 51 yards of net offense over the first three series before he was removed.

As the Bears built a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a 42-yard field goal from Santos and a 3-yard TD run from Fields, Jones struggled after missing the previous three games. Zappe made an immediate impact, hitting Jakobi Myers with a 30-yard touchdown pass on his fourth play.

On his next play, after Patriots cornerback Myles Bryant intercepted Fields, Zappe hit DeVante Parker on a 43-yard pass. Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 4-yard run two plays later as New England took a 14-10 lead with 6:04 remaining in the first half.

The Bears regrouped quickly, taking a 17-14 lead on Fields’ 25-yard TD pass to Khalil Herbert with 1:54 remaining in the first half. Santos’ 23-yard field goal on the final play before halftime gave Chicago a 20-14 advantage.

Santos made a pair of field goals in the third quarter, from 38 and 50 yards, to give the Bears a 26-14 edge. Montgomery put the game away when he scored from 1 yard out with 12:13 remaining as the Bears grabbed a 33-14 lead.

Chicago gained 243 yards rushing, its second consecutive game over 200 and the third time it reached the mark this season.

Bears linebacker Roquan Smith finished with an interception, a sack and 12 tackles.

New England’s Matthew Judon had 2.5 sacks to take over the NFL lead with 8.5.

Fields started in a game against Jones for the first time since Jan. 11, 2021, when Jones led Alabama to a 52-24 victory over Fields and Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Patriots Await Monday Night

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – New England Patriots rookie Bailey Zappe may start again at quarterback Monday night. Or he might not. As incumbent Mac Jones recovers from a high-ankle sprain that has sidelined him since Week 3, perhaps putting him in line for a return, Zappe is only worried about what he can control: his knowledge of New England’s opponent, the visiting Chicago Bears.

“I will study the game plan the same way I would whether I was third string or a starter,” Zappe said. “That’s kind of the mentality I take into it every week. That’s the mentality I’m going to take into this week, so I think that’s going to carry on into the rest of the year.”

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New England coach Bill Belichick said Jones could be medically cleared “at any time”; he was a limited participant in practice Thursday. Whether that spells the end of the line for Zappe as starter remains to be seen. Whatever the case, the Patriots (3-3) are grateful for the energy — and success — the fourth-rounder from Western Kentucky has infused.

Since relieving Brian Hoyer in an eventual overtime loss at Green Bay in Week 4, Zappe is 51-for-70 passing for 596 yards with four touchdowns and an interception, leading successive victories over Detroit and Cleveland following the Green Bay game.

“Of course I had a little confidence that I’d be able to make it, but for me it’s still surreal to be in this position and be in the NFL, to be a quarterback in the NFL,” Zappe said.

New England boasts a five-game winning streak against Chicago (2-4) and a 10-3 mark in the series overall.

Belichick enters Monday with 324 career coaching victories (including playoffs), tied with Bears legend George Halas for second place all-time. Don Shula is next with 347.

Chicago has lost three straight since winning two of its first three, with each defeat coming by one possession. The Bears have been idle since opening Week 6 with a 12-7 Thursday night home loss to Washington.

“Like any other team, there are some things to improve,” Chicago cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. “I feel like if we won our close games, I feel like the conversations around this team would be different. But we’ve shot ourselves in the foot these last few games.”

The Bears will aim to correct two notable deficiencies. The defense allows 163 rushing yards per game and 4.8 yards per attempt, ranked 29th and 24th in the NFL, respectively. Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Justin Fields has been sacked 23 times on 115 pass attempts, or one in every five.

“Pass protection is everybody,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “It’s not only the offensive line. It’s the tight ends, it’s the running backs, it’s the quarterback. So, it’s everybody. Pass protection is always going to be all 11 of them, so we will improve on that.”

Running the ball remains a strength. Fields (5.2 yards per carry) augments a rushing attack led by Khalil Herbert (402 yards) and David Montgomery (246) to give the Bears a ground game that averages 170.8 yards, second in the league.

Chicago faces a New England team coming off a stout defensive effort against Cleveland, limiting the Browns to 70 rushing yards — more than 100 below the team’s season average.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Cowboys Win With Prescott

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DALLAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Dallas veteran RB Ezekiel Elliott scored on two 1-yard plunges and the Dallas defense forced five second-half turnovers as the Cowboys defeated the visiting Detroit Lions 24-6.

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Dak Prescott, playing in his first game since suffering a broken right thumb in the season opener, passed for 207 yards while completing 19 of 25 attempts. He threw his first touchdown pass of the season with less than two minutes remaining.

Elliott gained 57 yards on 15 carries, while Tony Pollard rushed for 83 yards on 12 carries. CeeDee Lamb caught four passes for 70 yards for Dallas (5-2).

The Lions’ Jared Goff passed for 228 yards but fumbled twice and was picked off two times. Jamaal Williams gained 79 yards on 15 carries but committed a pivotal turnover.

The Lions (1-5) led 6-3 at halftime. Michael Badgley put Detroit on the scoreboard with a 40-yard field goal with 3:58 left in the first quarter.

Brett Maher’s 22-yard field goal, which capped a 72-yard Dallas drive, tied it up early in the second. Badgley’s 53-yard field goal put Detroit back on top.

Dallas had a good chance to at least tie the game late in the half, but wide receiver Noah Brown fumbled and the Lions recovered at their own 3-yard line.

Trevon Diggs intercepted Goff to end Detroit’s first possession of the second half. The Cowboys then embarked on a seven-play, 82-yard drive, which included a 28-yard run by Pollard. Elliott capped it off with a 1-yard run.

Detroit saw a 79-yard drive flame out early in the fourth quarter. After his team reached the Dallas 1, Williams fumbled on a hit by Demarcus Lawrence and linebacker Anthony Barr recovered.

Goff was intercepted by cornerback Jourdan Lewis with 8:29 left, leading to Dallas’ clinching touchdown. Prescott hit Brown with two passes on the 54-yard drive, which was capped by Elliott’s second touchdown of the game.

Dallas regained possession two plays after the next kickoff when Goff fumbled on a strip sack by Sam Williams. Prescott found Peyton Hendershot from 2 yards out to complete the scoring.

–Field Level Media

NFL Sports Desk: Saints, Cards on TNF

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GLENDALE – (Staff and Wire Service Preview from Field Level Media) – The New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals both had high expectations entering the season. But both are off to 2-4 starts as they try to get their campaigns headed in the right direction when they meet tonight in Arizona.

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The Cardinals lost two offensive starters to major injuries during a 19-9 loss at Seattle last Sunday. Left guard Justin Pugh suffered a torn ACL that will end his season and wide receiver Marquise Brown will miss at least several weeks because of a foot injury.

“It’s tough anytime you lose starters that you’re depending on in your offense,” Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “But it’s the NFL and everybody is dealing with the same thing. We’ve got to be able to continue to play and improve, so we’ll make adjustments and go from there.”

The Cardinals got a boost when wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins came off the suspended list Monday and the team bolstered the position further by trading two draft choices to the Carolina Panthers for Robbie Anderson.

Hopkins is expected to make his season debut against the Saints and Kingsbury said he’s hopeful Anderson will be able to play, though the short week provides limited practice opportunities.

“I’m really excited to see what he brings,” Kingsbury said of Hopkins. “He’s a guy you can throw out and expect to make plays, there’s no doubt. We’ll see how he fits in, but he’s the centerpiece of it.”

Three Arizona starters — center Rodney Hudson (knee), running back James Conner (ribs) and kicker Matt Prater (hip) — missed practice Tuesday, as did backup running back Darrel Williams (knee).

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NFL Sports Desk: Black Friday Football

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – A Black Friday NFL game will make its debut in 2023. Amazon and the NFL announced Tuesday that Prime Video will stream the first-ever traditional shopping-day game on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, at 3:00pm (ET).

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“Thanksgiving is synonymous with football and we’re excited to give our fans another day of NFL action during this holiday weekend,” said Hans Schroeder, chief operating officer for NFL Media. “Amazon is uniquely positioned to partner with us for this game as Black Friday is one of the most important days of the year for their business.”

Three NFL games are played on Thanksgiving day, including one in prime time.

Amazon is in its first season of streaming Thursday night games as part of a deal that runs through the 2033 season.

–Field Level Media

Patriots Earn No. 324 Win for Belichick

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CLEVELAND – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Reserve quarterback Bailey Zappe threw for a career-high 309 yards and his visiting New England Patriots posted a late lead to defeat the Cleveland Browns 38-15 on Sunday afternoon.

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TIED for SECOND: Bill Belichick won No. 324

Zappe completed 24 of 34 passes and tossed two touchdowns to lead New England (3-3) to its second consecutive win. Rhamondre Stevenson finished with 76 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, and four receivers eclipsed the 60-yard mark.

It was the 324th victory (including postseason) for Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who is now tied with George Halas for the second-most wins in NFL history.

Down 24-6 heading into the fourth, Cleveland (2-4) pulled within 24-15 thanks to a 51-yard field goal from Cade York and Amari Cooper’s 15-yard touchdown reception from Jacoby Brissett. The Browns then attempted an onside kick and recovered, but the call was overturned upon review.

Rookie wide receiver Tyquan Thornton then rushed for a 19-yard touchdown and Stevenson later added a 6-yard score on the ground to put the game out of reach.

Brissett threw for 266 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 21-of-45 passing for Cleveland, while Nick Chubb was held to 56 yards on 12 rushes.

The Patriots put together an impressive seven-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half. Zappe connected with Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry for gains of 53 and 13 yards, respectively, before hooking up with Thornton in the end zone from 2 yards out.

It was Thornton’s first career touchdown.

[Read more…] about Patriots Earn No. 324 Win for Belichick

NFL Sports Desk: SNF Marquee Matchup

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PHILADELPHIA – (Staff and Field Level Media Report) – Dallas oft-injured quarterback Dak Prescott participated in individual drills and was more involved in Thursday’s practice than the Dallas Cowboys anticipated, making enough improvement that he’s officially questionable for tonight’s game at Philadelphia.

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Lead receiver CeeDee Lamb missed Friday’s practice with a hip injury, but Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones signaled the absence was more precaution than panic.

“He’s just working through a couple things there. Just felt like it was best for him not to practice today. We feel like he’ll get all that sorted out for the game,” Jones said Friday to 105.3 FM in Dallas.

Prescott was upgraded to limited participation Thursday, his first practice in more than four weeks, from being listed as DNP on Wednesday.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said the result of the uptick in throwing is a sore surgically repaired right thumb. That prompted the Cowboys to rest Prescott and keep him out of Friday’s team work. McCarthy said the Cowboys consider Prescott in “regeneration” mode.

Prescott is nearly five weeks removed from fracturing the thumb on his throwing hand in the Sept. 11 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCarthy said the big picture remains entirely positive with Prescott, who will resume throwing Saturday and before Sunday’s game at Philadelphia.

“The last two days he hit the target. (Friday) will be a recovery day for him,” McCarthy said. “We’re on schedule. He’s getting better.”

Dallas’ Reserve QB Cooper Rush is in line to start his fifth consecutive game since Prescott went down.

The Cowboys (4-1) do expect linebacker Micah Parsons (groin) and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (chest) to be on the field for the NFC East showdown with the Eagles (5-0).

Rush said it’s important to note Prescott hasn’t been on the field, but he has impacted the end result.

“I’ve said before he’s helped tremendously with our room, myself, and everyone else on the sidelines,” Rush said. “He’s bringing energy, that’s just who he is as a person or a leader.”

–Field Level Media

Bills, Chiefs Reunite in Playoff Rematch

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) The Buffalo Bills return to the scene of a painful playoff loss when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.

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The Bills seemingly were en route to an AFC Divisional round victory when they went ahead with 13 seconds left in regulation this past January, but the Chiefs tied the contest with a field goal and eventually won 42-36 in overtime on Patrick Mahomes’ 8-yard scoring pass to Travis Kelce.

Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said the heartbreaking loss serves as an educational experience.

“I think just overall, you learn a lot through your experience, whether it’s positive or negative, and you can use it as you move forward as a person individually, as a team in this case,” McDermott told reporters on Wednesday. “I think when you’re in those games, just being in those games to begin with is a great educator for us as coaches, players and our football team.”

The Chiefs (4-1) and Bills (4-1) are tied for best record in the AFC. This will be the fifth meeting in the past two-plus seasons, with the teams splitting two regular-season contests and Kansas City winning a pair of playoff games.

The contest also arguably pits the top two quarterbacks in the NFL in Mahomes and Buffalo’s Josh Allen.

Mahomes leads the NFL with 15 touchdown passes while throwing for 1,398 yards and two interceptions. He threw four touchdown passes to Kelce in Monday night’s 30-29 home win over the Las Vegas Raiders. It marks the 15th time he has thrown four or more scoring passes in a regular-season game.

Kelce’s scoring receptions were topped by just one tight end in NFL history. Kellen Winslow of the famed “Air Coryell” San Diego Chargers caught five against the then-Oakland Raiders in 1981.

“Being down by 17, nobody cracked, and you didn’t see doubt in anybody’s eyes. All it did was build the beast, make us rally together and fight for each other,” Kelce said of the comeback victory. “We know we can play some good football when we have that kind of mentality.”

Allen leads the NFL with 1,651 passing yards, including a career-high 424 yards in last Sunday’s 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw four touchdowns, all in the first half, to raise his season count to 14 against four interceptions.

He is no longer interested in hearing anything about the game that got away nine months ago.

“We moved on. We’re ready to focus on this week,” Allen said. “I know everybody in the media will make a big deal out of it but as players, it really is just our next game on the schedule. Nothing we did last year carries over to this year.”

The two stars have a friendly relationship despite all the recent clashes.

“When you go up against the other great quarterback in the league, you always want to win, you always want to compete,” Mahomes said on Wednesday. “Josh is a great guy. He’s a great quarterback, physically talented. He can throw, he can run, he can do it all.

“When we’re on the football field, we’re competing against each other and we want to beat each other’s teams. I have a ton of respect for him and the player and person that he is.”

Both teams have won two straight games since dropping games in Week 3 — Kansas City lost 20-17 to the host Indianapolis Colts while the Bills fell 21-19 to the host Miami Dolphins.

Buffalo listed defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) as a full practice participant on Wednesday for the initial time since he was injured in Week 1. Receiver Isaiah McKenzie (concussion) also was a full-go after missing the Pittsburgh game. Missing the workout for injury reasons were running back Taiwan Jones (knee) and receiver Jake Kumerow (ankle).

Kansas City safety Bryan Cook (concussion), defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (knee) and cornerbacks Rashad Fenton (hamstring) and Chris Lammons (hip) missed practice Wednesday.

–Field Level Media

LA Rams Face Panthers, New Coach

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Field Level Media Report) – The coaching change with the Carolina Panthers has been a much-scrutinized topic this week. Perhaps to some degree that has overshadowed the struggles of the defending Super Bowl champions. The Los Angeles Rams are 2-3 and looking shaky, particularly on offense.

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They’ll try to get that turned around against the visiting Panthers (1-4) today in Inglewood.

Matt Rhule is out as Carolina’s coach, unable to make it through his third season. Steve Wilks, with a background as a defensive coach, takes over as interim head coach.

“I want to be a part of trying to turn this thing around,” Wilks said. “My history with this organization before is when we won three straight NFC South championships, so I know what it takes.”

This is the second time in four seasons that the Panthers have an interim coach. Ron Rivera was fired before completing the 2019 season, with Perry Fewell taking over for the rest of that season, though that move came in early December.

There’s more time to salvage this season, though it looks like the Panthers will have to do it with a backup quarterback. Nearly lost in all the news coming out of Charlotte is that quarterback Baker Mayfield is likely to be out with an ankle injury. He didn’t take any practice reps Wednesday.

So, this means P.J. Walker will be ready to make his first start of the season for the Panthers. He ended up in a fill-in role last year.

“This situation coming up now, we’ll see what happens on Sunday,” Walker said. “Every day I prepare as if I’m playing, so I never really got away from being prepared for games.”

The Panthers have won just one of four home games this season, most recently tumbling 37-15 to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams have scored one touchdown in each of their past two games in falling to the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Despite those shortcomings, receiver Cooper Kupp has maintained strong production with a league-leading 49 receptions to go with 105.4 receiving yards per game. He has scored four touchdowns.

But in general, finding the right formula remains a quest for the Rams.

“We’ve got a decision to be able to make about how we respond and I do trust that this response is in alignment up to this point with exactly what we’re hunting up to have a good performance against the Panthers,” coach Sean McVay said.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford is conducting the offense, so the Rams should be well-equipped to turn it around. The problem has been an injury-riddled offensive line that has stripped the unit of much continuity. Matt Skura was signed this week and could be the fourth center used this season.

That has shown up with Stafford being sacked 21 times. Those turned into a pair of fumbles in the Dallas game, pushing the Rams’ turnover total to 12 for second-most in the NFL.

“It’s really hard to beat the other team if you don’t stop beating yourself,” McVay said.

Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner said: “We’ve got to understand that we’re close. We just have to eliminate some of the plays that have hurt us.”

Meanwhile, LA running back Cam Akers will not play for the Rams because of personal reasons, signaling his future with the team suddenly is clouded. The third-year back out of Florida State did not practice Thursday and on Friday.

Panthers starting cornerback Jaycee Horn (ribs) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

Carolina is 12-9 all-time against the Rams’ franchise.

–Field Level Media

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