FOXBOROUGH – It looks like the Mac Jones era has come to an end.
After being benched for his fourth time this season, Jones started this week as the Patriots scout team quarterback, and Bailey Zappe as the team’s top quarterback. Zappe took first-team reps this week in practice and is in line to start against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Bill Belichick is hoping Zappe will spark the team’s struggling offense. Coming off a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants, it doesn’t appear that the Patriots season can get much worse. At 2-9, they’ve been flexed out of their Monday Night Football matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs and currently have the third-worst record in the NFL.
We’ll see if they can turn it around on Sunday when they welcome in a stacked, but struggling Chargers squad. At 4-7, Los Angeles is also in the midst of a disappointing season. Their fans are also calling for head coach Brandon Staley to be fired. This matchup will see two teams trying to get back on track and back into the win column.
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Bailey Zappe
‘Zappe Fever’ is back – sort of. The Patriots backup quarterback is primed to start against the Chargers on Sunday. This marks his first NFL start since Week 6 of the 2022 regular season when Zappe led the Patriots to a win over the Cleveland Browns. That last start was the best Zappe’s looked in the NFL. Against the Browns, he completed 70.6% of his passes for 309 yards to go with two touchdowns in the Patriots 38-15 win.
Can he do it again? Zappe hasn’t been nearly as efficient this season. In four games, Zappe completed 48.7% of his passes for 158 yards with two interceptions. This week, however, marked the first time Zappe has worked as the top quarterback in practice since that start against the Browns. The Patriots hope that the team will get a jolt of life with the backup quarterback.
Malik Cunningham
On Wednesday, it was noteworthy that Zappe was taking most of the reps during position drills at practice. It was also interesting that the other quarterback rotating in with him was Malik Cunningham. The Patriots haven’t used Cunningham as a quarterback since Week 6 in Las Vegas, but it looks like that might change this week.
Cunningham’s on the practice squad, but still can be elevated to the Patriots game-day roster. If the Patriots really want to make a change to their offense, dialing up plays for this athlete quarterback/receiver would at the very least make for something new and exciting to watch on Sunday. We’ll see if ‘Zappe Fever’ is met by ‘Malik Mania.
Who’s playing receiver?
Who will step up for Zappe on Sunday? The Patriots receiver room isn’t chalk-full of a bunch of Pro Bowlers. Their depth situation was made worse when Kendrick Bourne went down with a season-ending knee injury. The receiver unit looked even worse this week with two young players – Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte – not at practice.
The Patriots leading receiver, Douglas is in the NFL’s concussion protocol after taking a vicious hit on a punt return. Boutte is dealing with an illness and hamstring injury. That leaves the Patriots with four receivers on their active roster – DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, and Jalen Reagor. They have T.J. Luther on the practice squad and Cunningham, who’s been practicing at receiver.
Justin Herbert vs. Patriots defense
The Patriots defense has looked great the past two weeks, limiting both the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants to 10 points each. However, that was against backup quarterback Gardner Minshew and third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito. Can the defense keep up the pace against Justin Herbert?
The Chargers offense not only has a franchise quarterback, but he’s throwing to All-Pro receiver Keenan Allen and has All-Pro running back Austin Ekeler. This Chargers offense is loaded and if the Patriots are going to have a chance, their defense needs to step up. This season, Los Angeles is averaging 24.5 points per game. That’s ninth in the NFL. The Patriots are averaging 13.5 points per game. That’s 31st.
Kahlil Mack vs. Patriots offensive line
It’s not going to get any easier for the Patriots offensive line this week. Standing in Zappe’s way will be Khalil Mack. The seven-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and 2016 Defensive Player of the Year is having a phenomenal year for the Chargers. Mack is currently tied for third in the NFL in sacks (13), tied for second in forced fumbles (four), and tied for sixth in tackles for loss (12).
Mack created a dynamic 1-2 punch with Pro Bowl pass rusher Joey Bosa, but the Patriots lucked out as Bosa is out for the season. Still, the Patriots offensive line has one of their biggest tests of the season on Sunday. Mack is a game-wrecker and the offense needs to keep Zappe upright. We’ll see if they’re up for the challenge.
Prediction: Chargers 20, Patriots 17
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