Bailey Zappe vs. Mac Jones: Could Patriots Have QB Controversy?

Bailey Zappe is only a rookie fourth-round draft pick, but he's started half of New England's wins this season.

Welcome to Zappe Hour, Pats fans.

But along with the smiles and optimism that accompanied Sunday's 29-0 shutout of the Detroit Lions come controversy. Perhaps doubts. At the very least, questions.

As in, considering the way Mac Jones started the season and the way Bailey Zappe has finished the last two games ... do the New England Patriots have a quarterback conundrum? Or maybe a brewing decision?

“Yeah, I’m not going to get into a lot of hypotheticals on all the different things that might or might not happen and all that,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick told WEEI Radio during his regular appearance Monday morning. "That’s, to me, a waste of time. I’m not going to sit around here and dream up scenarios and all that. We’ll take things as they come and go from there. Obviously, Mac wasn’t active (against the Lions), so it wasn’t any part of the decision.”

It's not like we haven't seen this before.

In 2001, Drew Bledsoe was a three-time Pro Bowl performer who had taken the Patriots to a Super Bowl. But he was injured in Week 2, and replaced by a guy named Tom Brady.

In 2016 when Brady was suspended by Deflategate, Jimmy Garoppolo led New England to two wins by throwing for 500 yards and four touchdowns before an injury muted the controversy before it could really get started.

The lightning bolts of luck happen all around the league, too.

Remember Nick Foles taking over for injured Carson Wentz and leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl in 2017? In Dallas, the Cowboys' Dak Prescott got his start when Tony Romo was hurt in 2016. And now - after compiling a 4-0 record - there are rumblings that backup Cooper Rush could keep his gig even when Prescott is healthy.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it?

The Patriots, obviously, aren't there yet. But the scenario shouldn't be totally dismissed.

With the way he's played in the overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers and in the win over the Lions, Zappe has stabilized a shaky season caused by injuries to No. 1 Jones (ankle) and No. 2 Brian Hoyer (concussion). He became the first rookie in his first NFL game to throw a touchdown at a Lambeau Field that was built in 1957. And against Detroit he was again solid, bordering on spectacular, completing 17 of 21 for 188 yards and a beautiful scoring strike to Jakobi Meyers.

“He does a good job of seeing the game and can come off and identify and articulate what he saw, what happened – and that’s usually right,” Belichick said after the game Sunday. “And that goes all the way back to preseason. He played a lot in preseason. I think those snaps were good for him. He learned a lot; we learned a lot. And I think there’s definitely some benefit to the playing time that he had in preseason in the games that he’s played the last two weeks.”

For now, the 24-year-old Jones remains the franchise quarterback of the present and future. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, leading the Pats to 10 wins and a playoff berth. But ... since New England was 9-4 early last December he is only 2-6 as the starter with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, including three in the Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which he was injured on the final play.

In two games, Zappe is completing 75 percent (27 of 36) of his passes with two touchdowns and no glaring gaffes. His only interception was a perfectly thrown pass against Detroit that Nelson Agholor somehow bobbled into an interception.

Jones' quarterback rating of 76.2 was the worst among starters when he went down; Zappe's 104.8 trails only Buffalo Bills' MVP candidate Josh Allen (107.4).

If nothing else, Zappe is allowing the Patriots not rush Jones back before he is 100-percent physically healthy. There may be more to this story ...

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