NFL Rumors: Patriots benching Mac, Bears dream offseason, Steelers quiet moves

NFL Rumors: Patriots could bench Mac Jones in Week 12, put future in doubt

The last time that we saw the New England Patriots was when Bill Belichick's team was across the pond in Frankfurt, Germany, taking a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10. They had their bye in Week 11 and are now moving forward. But the conclusion of that game raised questions about whether or not the team would be moving forward with Mac Jones at the helm of the offense.

Jones was benched in favor of Bailey Zappe on the Patriots' final drive against the Colts after a red-zone turnover all but sealed New England's fate in that contest. The question has since been whether or not Belichick would return to the struggling former first-round pick or rip off the band-aid by going to another option. In the week-plus since the loss, though, we haven't gotten a clear indication.

But offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien may have dropped a hint on Monday morning.

When asked about the starter for the Patriots' Week 12 matchup on the road against the New York Giants, O'Brien played it coy, saying, "At the end of the day, Bill (Belichick) will make that decision at some point and we’ll go from there."

At the very least, there is some indecision at quarterback in Foxboro right now, which is not good news for Jones.

Even if Belichick and Co. end up keeping Mac Jones as QB1 for this matchup, the leash for the Alabama product has certainly never been shorter. And at the first sign of a spiraling mistake, we could see the Patriots pull him with no intentions of giving the job back to him.

Needless to say, though, not much is going well for the 2-8 Patriots, and it seems as if the drama is only starting.