Bailey Zappe insinuated after Sunday's Patriots loss that he got a raw deal from the officials on his game-ending interception.
Bill Belichick had a different view of that regrettable play.
Asked Monday on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" whether he saw a penalty on Zappe's pick that should have been called, Belichick flatly replied: "No."
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The play was all-around ugly. Zappe, who replaced starter Mac Jones for New England's final drive, faked a spike with 37 seconds remaining, then fired a pass into triple coverage that was picked off by Colts safety Rodney Thomas.
The turnover sealed a 10-6 win for Indianapolis at Frankfurt Stadium that dropped the Patriots to 2-8 on the season.
Zappe was asked about the play after the game. Before launching into his explanation, he said he "can't say what (he wanted) to say," later clarifying that he was referring to officials and penalties.
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If any team deserved to be penalized in that moment, it was the Patriots. Multiple offensive linemen flinched before the snap.
"First of all, it was a false start," Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin told reporters after the game. "... Everybody was (offsides). Two of them moved early."
Franklin also criticized Zappe for his execution of the fake spike, which he said was easy for Indy's defense to read.
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Zappe could get a chance to atone for his mistake next week. With Jones benched Sunday for the third time this season following an awful red-zone interception, Belichick left the door open for a potential quarterback change as the Patriots enter their Week 11 bye.
"We'll look at everything, all the way across the board," the head coach said.
Veteran Will Grier is New England's other backup option behind Jones.
Featured image via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
