Patriots Odds: Point Gap Shortening Between Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe

The New England Patriots don’t have a quarterback controversy, but rookie Bailey Zappe is turning heads.

When incumbent starter Mac Jones suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Baltimore Ravens, the initial thought was that the point gap between Jones and Zappe was a full three points. So when the Patriots ballooned from a 7.5-point underdog to +10.5 at the Green Bay Packers, it all sort of made sense.

Then New England took Green Bay to overtime and followed that up with a shutout against the Detroit Lions.

Maybe most of us were selling Zappe short all along?

“(Bill) Belichick should see what he’s got in Zappe,” a professional bettor told NESN a couple weeks ago. “He has great awareness in the pocket, makes quick decisions and can zip it downfield. He’s much more valuable than (Brian) Hoyer over time.”

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It didn’t take long for longtime Las Vegas bookmaker Ed Salmons to come around on Zappe, either.

“Zappe was a big unknown when he entered the game against the Packers,” Salmons told NESN. “But after watching him thrive in the Patriots’ system, he almost seems like the same thing as Mac Jones. There’s maybe a half-point difference. It’s really close right now.”

John Murray, Salmons’ bookmaking teammate at the Westgate, agrees.

“Zappe does everything the coaches ask him to do,” Murray said. “Manage the game, protect the football and don’t make any mistakes. That’s the name of the game. And when they called a play where Zappe needed to take a shot, he capitalized. That’s how you stay in good graces with Bill Belichick. Belichick doesn’t care about potential, he cares about results.

“I don’t think it makes a difference who plays quarterback for New England.”

The Patriots are three-point road dogs in Cleveland on Sunday and it’s likely Zappe will be under center.