Patch Patriots Roundup: Return Of The Mac? Belichick Seeks Record Win

FOXBOROUGH, MA — If sportsbooks provide any insight into how likely a victory is in the NFL, Bill Belichick is quite likely to overtake George Halas for second in all-time coaching wins against the Bears on Monday night.

Halas, of course, is the legendary coach of the Bears whose name is stamped all over their Chicago facilities. Belichick, ever the football historian, must be smiling inside.

But there's another headline developing this week surrounding not Belichick, but his second-year quarterback Mac Jones. Here's what to know ahead of Week 7:

Can't Be Zappe Forever

Mac Jones was a limited participant during Thursday's practice session, and ESPN's Mike Reiss reports that he expects to be ready to play in Week 7. Belichick hasn't commented on who is quarterback will be on Monday night, but it's likely if Jones is healthy he'll retake the starting job from rookie Bailey Zappe.

If you follow the Patriots, then you've probably heard in recent weeks that a fringe contingent of pundits and fans have questioned whether Zappe's stint as the starter has led to a QB controversy in Foxborough.

According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, those people are wasting their breath.

"There is no QB controversy in New England. When Mac Jones is healthy enough to return to play, he’ll be the starter, per sources," Howe tweeted on Thursday.

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened, Zappe heads.

Belichick Moving On Up

Bill Belichick has a chance to move into sole possession of second place on the NFL's all-time wins list.

On Sunday, Belichick tied George Halas, the legendary Chicago Bears coach, on the list. On Monday night he has a chance to pass Halas for sole possession of second place. The Patriots, as circumstances would have it, face the Bears in Foxborough.

The list includes victories in both the regular and postseasons, with Halas and Belichick sitting at 324. Only Don Shula is ahead of the duo with 347 victories.

Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper notes that Belichick was asked after Sunday's victory over Cleveland what it meant to be tied with Halas. The transcription of that response is below:

“George Halas, Paul Brown, I probably shouldn’t make that list,” Belichick said after the game. “They were my idols. Coach Halas was again a friend of my dad’s. My dad knew people on the staff that coached for Coach Halas. He coached Bill Wade at Vanderbilt, so they had a lot of Chicago-Halas connections. When they came to Baltimore, we would go to the locker room after the game, stuff like that. They were always very gracious and generous. They let me hang around and stuff like that. A ton of respect for Coach Halas and the McCaskey family, and what he did for professional football and the way that he – and since we’re here, Paul Brown – and others like that paved the way for us as coaches and paved the way for the National Football League to grow into what it is today. They laid a lot of the building blocks.”

Belichick, of course, absolutely belongs on the list of greats. Aside from ranking second in victories, his six Super Bowl wins rank first in league history.

Odds and Ends

Kickoff: Monday, Oct. 24, 8:15 p.m.

Network: ESPN

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Weather forecast: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 56. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%.