Patriots Prepare Bailey Zappe to Start Against Chargers- Meet the QB Who Officially Benched Mac Jones

Bill Belichick is likely throwing his last penny of the season. The New England Patriots, once considered one of the strongest teams in the league, have turned out to be among the low-scoring teams this time. According to reports, their QB1, Mac Jones, has lost confidence in himself, making the trouble deeper for the New England side.

The Patriots currently have just 2 wins in their 11 games this season. Belichick has tried every possible way to salvage the Foxborough team, including working on offense or allowing his players an additional day to recoup. None of these strategies has created a significant impact on the team’s performance. Now, for the final time, he is trying to hold back the 2021 pick and determine to choose between the two backups.

Who will take Mac Jones’ place?

A recent video of the Patriots practice session went viral. In the video, the quarterbacks Malik Cunningham and Bailey Zappe were seen throwing passes to the tight ends and wide receivers. While, the usual starting quarterback, Mac Jones, was observing from behind and didn’t actively participate in the practicing drill. This officially stated that Jones is now confirmingly benched.

So, who will take up his position—Cunningham or Zappe? According to another report by the NFL insider, Dov Kleiman, “The #Patriots are preparing to start Bailey Zappe against the #Chargers on Week 13.” The Foxborough team is set to face off against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, December 3, at 1:00 p.m. ET.

As stated, potentially by benching Jones, Zappe will take the field this time, and fans are hoping for any positive changes in the scoreboard for the Patriots after making him the starter.

Who is Bailey Zappe?

The 24-year-old young quarterback, Bailey Zappe was picked in the fourth round of the 2022 draft from Western Kentucky. In the upcoming Chargers game, it will potentially be his third time playing in a professional football game. So far, in his two previous games, his performance has been a bit up and down.

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In total, he has thrown the ball 39 times and completed 19 of those passes. He gained 158 yards, but unfortunately, he didn’t score any touchdowns. However, when he started the game, he used to be much better! As a starter, he completed a high percentage of his passes (74.5%) and threw three TDs with just one INT.

On average, each of his passes gained 9.0 yards, and a 112.5 passer rating. But when he came off the bench or played in other situations, his performance wasn’t as impressive. The average distance received per pass was lower at 5.8 yards, with a 60.3 passer rating, which is not high when compared to his starter role.

As in the rest of the games, Zappe is coming in as a substitute, it would be crucial for him and the team to avoid replicating their usual past gaming style to win.

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