New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has apparently decided who will be his team’s starting quarterback against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe—who started in place of Mac Jones in last week’s 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers—says that Belichick has made his choice and will announce it soon.
“Coach has made it pretty clear, but I’ll let him announce it to everybody,” Zappe said, via That’s private right now, but whenever he announces it that’s with him,” Zappe said, via NBC Sports Boston.
Zappe went 13-for-25 with 141 yards in what was an overall listless offensive effort against the Chargers. The poor offensive performance is nothing new for New England, which has put forth a season full of them in 2023.
Zappe, who played his collegiate football at Western Kentucky, was selected by the Pats in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
The 24-year-old played in four games and made two starts during his rookie campaign, throwing for 781 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 70.7 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 100.9.
In five appearances and his lone start this season, Zappe has totaled 299 yards, no touchdowns and a couple of picks while completing 50 percent of his throws and registering a passer rating of 50.2.
Zappe has been given an opportunity this year due to some horrendous struggles for Jones, who has accumulated 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his 11 starts this season.
Jones is now in his third season under center for the Patriots and has regressed since his rookie campaign.
New England’s quarterback situation is in flux heading into the offseason, as neither Jones nor Zappe appears to be the long-term answer as of right now.
The good news for the Pats is that they are just 2-10 and should have a great chance of landing one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL Draft come springtime.
The Patriots currently own their worst record through 12 games since 1993.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
