Report: Mac Jones, most Patriots starters likely out vs. Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If you want to see how Mac Jones and the New England Patriots offense perform against another defense, you'll likely have to wait until next week.
The second-year quarterback isn't expected to play Thursday night's preseason opener against the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium, our Phil Perry reports. ESPN's Mike Reiss and Dan Graziano added that "most" Patriots starters likely won't see the field.
Starting quarterbacks usually play very sparingly in the preseason if there's no competition for their job, and Jones is the team's clear franchise QB ahead of 36-year-old Brian Hoyer and rookie Bailey Zappe.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
But the Patriots are dealing with major growing pains as they install a new offensive system with a new tandem of offensive coaches in Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, so some saw Thursday's game as a good opportunity to get first-team offense some reps in live game action.
Bill Belichick appears to be taking a more conservative approach, however. New England also has joint practices scheduled with the Carolina Panthers next Tuesday and Wednesday, so Jones and the offense can get some quality reps then as well.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
As for Thursday night, Zappe is likely to take the majority of snaps to try to prove his worth to the team. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.