Amidst Patriots’ 4 Game-Winless Run, Hapless Performances Push Bailey Zappe Ahead of ‘Faltering’ Mac Jones

The Patriots are already out of the NFL season with about 5 games in hand. They are on a 4-game losing streak and haven’t seen the face of victory since the Bills matchup on October 22. Head coach Bill Belichick has attempted all sorts of possible combinations, now trying his last resort as well. Pushing aside the sub-par performing Mac Jones, the HC is all set to bring in his new QB.

Matters have been tough for Jones and they only seem to get more complex, with the QB being replaced for the starter role. Backup QB Bailey Zappe is the latest to earn the HC’s trust over regular starter Jones, according to an NFL insider.

Mac Jones bites the dust, once again

If Insider Jeff Howe is to be believed, the 71-year-old HC has decided to go ahead with Bailey Zappe as the team faces the Chargers on Sunday. While speculations have been surrounding the same since the recent practice session, the confirmation still has brought major shock to the NFL world.

During the practice, Zappe could be seen throwing passes to his teammates. In the same video, Jones was only lingering in the back and witnessing all the scenes, without fully participating in the practicing drills.

Now, the decision to start Zappe over primary backup QB veteran Brian Hoyer also comes as a surprise for the spectators. It’s quite difficult to understand the exact reason behind the selection, but the decision looks to have the HC’s mind behind it.

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Why Bailey Zappe over other QBs?

Belichick’s decision gets increasingly mysterious the more we think of it. Zappe was a 2022 fourth-round draft of the Patriots and has made noticeably few contributions to the team till now. This season, he has only been able to put up 19 passes for 158 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns in four games, coming in later in each match. So why did Belichick go with the decision?

On the more logical side, the HC, potentially, may have found a good way to test his squad depth as the damage has been done. With the season done and dusted for them, it would make sense to rotate the squad and not put much pressure on one player. Hoyer has led the offense in the past, and Zappe was understandably in the queue for the game if a faltering Jones was benched.

Maybe that explains why Zappe with his 48.7 passing accuracy has reportedly been given the start ahead of Jones or anyone else. But no one exactly knows the reasoning behind the decision concretely. And we will only find out if the decision worked, or not on Sunday, December 3.

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