New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had the worst game of his NFL career on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, but that didn't appear to be the reason why he was benched. At least that's what Bill Belichick made it sound like.

The Patriots head coach said multiple times that he didn't feel that there was a purpose of having Jones still on the field when he pulled him in the third quarter of their 38-3 loss to the Cowboys.

“I didn't think there was any point in leaving him in the game,” Belichick replied when asked what led to the decision to remove Jones.

Whether Jones will remain as the team's starter or not is also unclear. Belichick gave a similar answer when asked if Jones will start in Week 5.

“I just said there's no point in leaving him in the game,” Belichick said when asked if Jones would start against the New Orleans Saints.

When Belichick was cornered into whether Jones was benched for poor performance or due to the score, he gave the same answer again.

“No, I said there was no point in leaving him out there,” Belichick said. “So, I took him out.”

The quarterback was yanked following a three-and-out on the Patriots' second drive of the second half, ending his day by completing 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble. One of those interceptions was an across-the-field pass that resulted in a pick-6. The lost fumble, meanwhile, led to a scoop-and-score for the Cowboys, putting the Patriots in a 28-3 hole going into halftime.

So, Jones' benching was understandable due to his performance. And it appeared that was the case during the game as he was the only notable starter removed from Sunday's action until late in the fourth quarter. Matthew Judon was still on the field in the fourth quarter during which he suffered an apparent upper-body injury that was reportedly a biceps tendon issue.

Belichick was asked if he considered taking Judon out as he removed Jones because he felt there was no need for the quarterback to still be playing.

“No,” Belichick said. “You've got to put somebody out there.”

This marks the second time that Belichick's pulled Jones during a game over the last two seasons. He removed him from the Week 7 matchup against the Chicago Bears last season but allowed him to be the starting quarterback the rest of the season after that game.

Jones didn't have the best closing to his 2022 season, finishing the year with 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdown passes, and 11 interceptions as the Patriots went 8-9. As Year 3 appears to be a make-or-break season for Jones, he got off to a fine start through the first three games, ranking in the top 10 in the league in touchdown passes and yards entering Week 4.

Belichick said that Jones' performance wasn't exclusive to the rest of the team on Sunday.

“I don't think any of us played or coached well enough to be competitive today,” Belichick said. “Everybody.”

When he was asked if he was worried about Jones' confidence following his second benching though, Belichick didn't really give an answer.

“I don't – I think we just need to go out and play well,” Belichick said.

The Patriots will look to bounce back from their loss to the Cowboys when they host the Saints in Week 5.