Patriots' Mac Jones Benched for Bailey Zappe After Throwing INT vs. Bears

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones' return from an ankle injury on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears quickly came to an end.

After Jones threw an interception early in the second quarter, he was benched in favor of rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe.

Jones had missed each of the previous three games after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens. He threw for 13 yards on 3-of-6 passing before exiting Monday's game. Upon entering the game, Zappe led the Patriots to back-to-back touchdown drives.

As a rookie, Jones was a steady force under center for New England and was selected to the Pro Bowl as an alternate. However, he's struggled a bit this year, with just two touchdowns and five interceptions before he went down with the ankle injury.

Zappe was thrust into action after veteran backup quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered a concussion against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. He played admirably in his debut, but Green Bay won the game in overtime. In his next two starts, Zappe led New England to back-to-back wins over the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.

Entering Monday, Zappe threw for 596 yards, four touchdowns and an interception while completing 72.9 percent of his passes. The fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky looked more and more comfortable each time he took the field, as his best game came last week with 309 yards and two scores against Cleveland.

At 3-3, the Patriots are hoping to avoid a loss on Monday that would set them back in the competitive AFC East, in which every other team has a winning record.