Patriots
It’ll mark the first time Jones will start a game on the bench in his NFL career.
After receiving QB1 reps in practice this week and a report that the Patriots were “preparing” to start Bailey Zappe, the second-year quarterback is reportedly set to start against the Chargers.
The Patriots “will indeed” start Zappe on Sunday, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported Friday. Jones is also “unlikely to play” barring a mid-game change, Howe added. It’s still unclear where Jones’s standing on the depth chart is.
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The Patriots also have “a package of plays” prepared for rookie quarterback/wide receiver Malik Cunningham, according to Howe. Cunningham has not seen game action since his one and only appearance this season against the Raiders in Week 6. Cunningham saw two snaps under center in that game and four as a receiver.
Cunningham would need to be added to the active roster as he is currently signed to the practice squad.
The reported change comes after a miserable 11 games for Jones. The move seemed inevitable as Jones had been benched in two straight games and four total times this season; Zappe relieved him in all instances.
Jones was most recently benched at halftime in the Patriots’ 10-7 loss to the Giants on the road, which promptly posed the question of whether or not he had started his final game in a Patriots uniform.
That question began to answer itself this week when the media witnessed Zappe and Cunningham throwing passes, not Jones, who stood behind them and watched, during the open portion of Wednesday’s practice.
The Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed reported later that day that Zappe got first-team reps during that practice away from the media. In the same report, he also said Cunningham has the chance to get snaps against Los Angeles.
Belichick, unsurprisingly, did not announce his team’s starting quarterback in any of his Week 13 press conferences. He did, however, say Zappe’s preparation and play have been steady this year.
“He’s pretty consistent, about what it’s been all year,” Belichick told reporters Friday. “He’s pretty even-keeled, not a lot of roller coaster with him.”
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