Bailey Zappe appears to have a firm grip on the starting quarterback job for the New England Patriots.
He is 2-2 as the starter since taking over for Mac Jones beginning in Week 13. Zappe has thrown six touchdowns with just two interceptions during that span. His most recent outing was his best. Zappe threw for 256 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions (one fumble) in a 26-23 road win over the Denver Broncos in Week 16. He engineered a game-winning drive with three completions for 36 yards to get New England into position for a game-winning field goal.
With two games remaining in the regular season -- at the Buffalo Bills in Week 17 and home vs. the New York Jets in Week 18 -- it seems pretty unlikely that Jones will take another snap this season. An injury to Zappe likely is the only scenario that would result in Jones getting back on the field.
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Despite all the difficulties Jones has experienced in his third NFL season, Patriots offensive coordinator still believes in the University of Alabama product.
“I feel good about Mac Jones,” O’Brien told reporters Tuesday in a video press conference. “I really do. I think Mac Jones is a smart guy. He’s a very hard worker. He’s really done a good job in this situation here of being a good teammate.
“Look, these are things that happen in the course of a lot of careers, right? You have some ups and downs, and he’s approached it the right way. He’s working hard, and I believe in Mac. I think Mac’s going to be just fine.”
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Jones started the first 11 games of the season and was benched four times. He threw an interception in nine of those 11 games, and the Patriots lost each one. Turnovers -- both interceptions and fumbles -- were a huge issue for Jones. He couldn't protect the football, and the Patriots fell behind by large margins in several games because of it.
Will the Patriots keep Jones entering next season? Having him in a backup role would make some sense, but he's definitely not starter material. We have a large enough sample size of results over the last two seasons to show Jones isn't a franchise quarterback.
The Patriots will need to find that type of player in the 2024 NFL Draft, free agency or the trade market.