New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been playing coy about who his starting quarterback will be in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers. It is the same thing he did last week leading up to the team’s game against the New York Giants.
There is certainly some gamesmanship being had, as Belichick wants to make preparations for his opponent as difficult as possible. But, there is also part of him that may not truly know, as the Patriots don’t have a good answer when asked who their starting quarterback is.
Mac Jones, who has been the starter all season, was benched for the third time this season against the Giants. He threw two more interceptions and New England was shut out with him leading the way.
NFL News & Rumors: Bill Belichick, Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots Updates
After halftime, it was Bailey Zappe who took over at quarterback. Zappe led a touchdown drive on the team’s first in the second half. He threw an ugly interception of his own, but he did put the team in position to go to overtime before Chad Ryland missed a 35-yard field goal attempt.
While no decision has officially been made by the Patriots, a hint has been provided about who the starter could be. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, it was Zappe who was taking reps during the portion of the padded practice that was open to reporters.
Even more surprising was that Jones didn’t even enter the mix after him. Instead, it was rookie Malik Cunningham, who is currently on the practice squad, who followed Zappe at quarterback. Jones and Will Grier both took zero snaps with the media present.
Could that be a sign of the Patriots making some major changes at the position? A roster move would have to be made soon to get Cunningham on the active roster, but based on what was shown at practice, it is at least under consideration.
NFL News & Rumors: Bill Belichick, Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, New England Patriots Updates
“I’m not going to make any announcements on our lineup at any position,” Belichick had said earlier in the day. “See how practice goes, see if everybody is ready to go, see what the injury situation is, and we’ll go with what we think is best Sunday.”
It is hard to envision Jones being the starter again as the Patriots have seemingly been close to making a change numerous times. This could be the week they finally pull the plug, as signs are pointing to Zappe starting against the Chargers.
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