What Bailey Zappe Said About Starting QB Job After Patriots Loss

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After the Patriots’ embarrassing loss in Germany, Bailey Zappe said he was “100%” confident he could succeed as New England’s starting quarterback.

He hopes that chance finally comes after Mac Jones’ latest dud.

Jones was benched at halftime of Sunday’s 10-7 loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, with Zappe replacing him mid-game for the fourth time this season.

Head coach Bill Belichick would not say which QB will start next Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but Zappe said he’d appreciate a full complement of starter reps to prepare if he’s the choice.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” the second-year pro said after Sunday’s defeat. “But that’s Coach Belichick’s decision. Whatever he decides, if he wants to do — whatever. I’ll do whatever he says.”

And if he does get the chance to start?

“That’s Coach Belichick’s decision,” Zappe said. “If I start, I’m going to do everything I can like I have the past times I’ve started and try to go out there and win.”

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Multiple reports indicated Jones and Zappe split first-team reps roughly evenly during the leadup to the Giants game, with Belichick not informing the team who would start until late in the week. Belichick said the split was “probably not quite” 50-50 and that he named the starter before the team traveled to New Jersey, though he “(couldn’t) remember” exactly when.

Jones went 12-for-21 for 89 yards with two interceptions and a fumble before his halftime hook. Zappe posted his highest completion rate of any appearance this season but relied almost exclusively on screens and other short passes. He finished 9-for-14 for 58 yards, and his nine completions totaled -4 air yards, according to live stats by NFLGSIS. All nine were to targets within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.

Zappe also threw another ill-advised interception that set up what proved to be a game-winning field goal for the Giants. He tried to force a pass downfield to JuJu Smith-Schuster, missing what he acknowledged was a “wide-open” Tyquan Thornton underneath.

It was another example of Zappe failing to capitalize on a gameday opportunity. His relief stint in Germany also featured an ugly INT, with that one sealing a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Zappe flatly replied, “No,” when asked if he was pleased with his performance on Sunday.

“When you don’t win, it’s a missed opportunity,” he said.

Zappe won both of his starts as a rookie last season, but he’s struggled in Year 2. After being cut and re-signed out of training camp, the 24-year-old has completed 48.7% of his passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions across four appearances, averaging less than 4.2 yards per attempt.

Jones, though, has looked mentally broken for weeks now, repeating the same costly mistakes game after game. With third-stringer Will Grier now off the roster after being released on Saturday, the Patriots might have no choice but to give Zappe a shot next week against the Chargers.