Patriots apparently turning to Bailey Zappe at quarterback in Week 13
The New England Patriots are set to make a change at quarterback for this Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, with former first-round draft pick Mac Jones heading to the bench.
Masslive.com reports Bailey Zappe took most of the first-team reps during Wednesday's practice session, while Jones was relegated to working with the scout team.
Zappe has replaced an ineffective Jones in four games already this season, including last week's 10-7 loss to the New York Giants. His only two career starts after being selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 draft were last year when Jones was injured. The Patriots won both of those games.
Jones has been turnover-prone (12 interceptions, two fumbles) and largely ineffective this season as the Patriots have won just twice in 11 games. Patriots coach Bill Belichick has revealed little about the quarterback position in the past few weeks, declining to name a starter until gametime.
NEVER MISS A SNAP: Sign up for our NFL newsletter for exclusive content
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
"I'm not going to make any announcements on our lineup at any position," Belichick said before Wednesday's session. "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."
However, giving Zappe a full week with the first-team offense would be a strong indication which way Belichick is leaning heading into Sunday's home game against the 4-7 Chargers.
“He looked good,” wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said of Zappe's efforts at practice. “Him going out there, making throws and moving the chains, moving the ball down the field, he looked good.”