Patriots' Bill Belichick Declines to Name QB1 vs. Chargers After Mac Jones' Benching

Bill Belichick's first attempt to be coy about who the starting quarterback would be for the New England Patriots last week didn't go so well, but that's not gonna stop him from continuing to do it.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Belichick declined to publicly name a starter for this week's game against the Los Angeles Chargers after Mac Jones was benched at halftime in a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants.

Jones was pulled from the game against the Giants after going 12-of-21 for 89 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. It was the second straight game he was benched and fourth time overall this season.

The first two times Jones was benched came in the fourth quarter of blowout losses against the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints. He was replaced by Bailey Zappe for the final offensive possession in a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10.

Sunday marked the first time that Jones has been pulled prior to the fourth quarter. Leading up to the matchup with the Giants, Belichick said he told all of the quarterbacks to be ready to go when asked if he was going to name a starter.

Jones and Zappe are currently the only quarterbacks on New England's active roster. Malik Cunningham, an undrafted rookie out of Louisville, is on the practice squad. He recently said that most of his practice reps since Week 6 have come as a wide receiver.

The Patriots released Will Grier on Saturday before re-signing him to their practice squad Tuesday.

Jones has started each of New England's first 11 games this season. He's thrown for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Zappe is 19-of-39 for 158 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in four appearances.

The Patriots have scored 17 points or fewer in nine of their 11 games. They rank 25th in yards per game (293.3) and 31st in points per game (13.5).

New England will host the Chargers on Sunday looking to end its four-game losing streak.