For the second time this season, Patriots fans clamored for Mac Jones to be benched in favor of Bailey Zappe after a rough first-half performance.
It bothered receiver Jakobi Meyers the first time it happened against the Chicago Bears when Jones actually was benched for Zappe, and it irked Meyers again when it happened against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.
This time, though, New England stuck with Jones, and the second-year quarterback turned in his gustiest performance as a pro, throwing two second-half scores and finishing with 240 yards passing after totaling just 54 in the first half.
Meyers couldn’t help but show pride in his quarterback at the podium after the game.
“He’s kind of dealt with it all year, just people always ready to pass it to the next guy,” Meyers said of the Zappe chants. “He just keeps going out there battling. He takes shots, he gets back up. He makes mistakes, he comes out and tries to fix it.
“Shout out to Mac, man. That’s a tough guy mentally and physically. I can roll with him any day because at the end of the day, you know regardless of what anybody says, he’s going to go out there and fight his hardest.”
After a couple of weeks in which Jones’ frustration and blowups got more notice than his play, his resilience turned the crowd from naysayers into supporters down the stretch.
Of course, he couldn’t have done it without some big help from receivers Kendrick Bourne, who simply balled out in every way imaginable after being mothballed for much of the year, and Meyers, who caught Jones’ desperation 3rd-and-29 heave for a touchdown off a ricochet.
But there’s no doubt Jones earned some respect for stepping up when the chips were down. It’s just unfortunate he didn’t get his chance to be the hero in the end.
