Getty Mac Jones (left) and Bailey Zappe of the Patriots.
We have a quarterback controversy for the New England Patriots. Which is to say, there is a controversy over which quarterback on the roster is less qualified to run this team from week to week.
There is one who, at least, thinks he is amply qualified to be an NFL starter: Bailey Zappe, the team’s backup who came into the sad-sack 10-6 loss to the Colts in Germany.
In a play that summed up the state of the Patriots’ quarterbacks perfectly, Zappe came on for the final drive of the game, after New England removed Mac Jones (who was visibly excoriated by offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien). He moved the Patriots to their own 40-yard line with 36 seconds left and in need of a touchdown to win.
Bill O’Brien PISSED at Mac Jones
With the clock running after a Patriots running play, Zappe rushed the team to the line and ran a fake spike. The Colts’ pass rush was caught off guard, but not the defensive backs. Zappe tried to squeeze a throw to Demario Douglas downfield between three defenders, but it was easily intercepted by Rodney Thomas, effectively ending the game.
After the game, though, Zappe was asked whether he thinks he is capable of taking the reins as the Patriots’ starter in place of Jones. His answer was succinct.
“I can’t say what I want to say…”
Bailey Zappe is asked about what he saw on the final throw of the game
Patriots’ Bailey Zappe Has Struggled
The numbers on Bailey Zappe this season are pretty terrible this season. He came into Week 10 with two appearances, and had gone 7-for-18 passing with 79 yards, and a quarterback rating of 52.8. He was 3-for-7 for 25 yards on Sunday, with a quarterback rating of, ahem, 13.1. Though, in fairness, his appearances have been in difficult spots after Jones had struggled.
In four appearances in 2022, Zappe threw for 785 yards on 65-for-92 passing, with 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He went 2-0 in his starts and had a 100.8 quarterback rating.
He tried to explain his decision to throw into triple coverage on the final interception.
“We were kind of behind on time and yards, we talk about one yard for every second,” he said. “So we’re trying to get ahead of the time by taking a shot. We figured the play that we had, the fake spike, not letting them get the rush going. That worked but it was kind of me just kind of forcing it, trying to make a play to get us ahead of time.
“Looking back at it, I am probably just going to say, ‘Hey, just throw an incomplete, next down, try and see if we can take another shot.’ But I am sure we will look at it tomorrow or Tuesday and we’ll learn from it.”
What’s Next at QB for Patriots?
The bigger issue is that the Patriots now have seven games left of this NFL season and could be in the midst of what is more like a quarterback crisis than a quarterback controversy. Around Patriots media on Sunday, many an obituary was being written for the New England career of Mac Jones. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the start of the Bailey Zappe era.
Team insider Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston acknowledged he did not have information that a change is nigh, but the Bailey Zappe appearance late in the Colts game spoke volumes. “The fact that he wasn’t back out on the field makes me believe that the Patriots will look in another direction, after the break, at quarterback,” Curran said.
That could mean Zappe takes over. He certainly thinks he is ready. It could mean third-stringer Will Grier gets a crack. Or it could mean someone new completely—Malik Cunningham?—gets a look.
It is not going to be pretty. But the Patriots have a quarterback problem, and will need to figure out a new path. And soon.