The Patriots waited until the last minute to decide whether Mac Jones would play or not against the Packers, ultimately announcing that Brian Hoyer would take over. Unfortunately, the veteran quarterback got injured early in the loss at Lambeau Field.
Third-string rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe had to take the reins in the first quarter, and he did surprisingly well, completing 10 of 15 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown. However, many wonder whether that will be it for Bill Belichick.
If an injury to thestarting quarterback is already a huge blow to any NFL team, let alone losing the backup too. Even if the Patriots consider the prospect of starting Zappe, will they add to the QB room just in case? According to Belichick, the team will make a decision when itknows more about the status ofJones and Hoyer.
Patriots HC Bill Belichick leaves door open on signing another QB
“Yeah, well see. We’ll evaluate things going forward,” Belichick said, via Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. “We’ll see where things stand. I don’t know. Today’s kind of the day to reassess things and figure things out. Talk to our medical staff. Again, postgame is, most of the time, it’s really inconclusive. It’s the next 24 to 48 hours. How guys respond, what tests to do and so forth. All of that information comes in usually well after the game.”
Of course, the Patriots first have to see how serious Hoyer’s injury is and also for how long will Jones be out. In the event that both are ruled out forseveral weeks, it would make sense if they add at the position.
Bailey Zappe reacts to unexpected NFL debut
“Of course, it was exciting, the first opportunity to play in an NFL game,” Zappe said, via ClutchPoints. “Obviously not the outcome we wanted at all. First, I want to give credit to all my teammates. They kept me calm. They kept me – getting the nerves out of me. They kept me in my space and cool, calm, and collected. Everybody played well. O-line played. We ran the ball well. The game comes down to just a couple of plays and the game comes out differently.”
It remains to be seen how the Patriots move forward, with Jones and Hoyer potentially out for Week 5 against the Detroit Lions. In the meantime, Zappe will continue to work as usual, being ready in case he’s needed.
“Just to continue to do my job,” Zappe added,“get the ball to playmakers, let them do what they do best out in space and continue to stay cool, calm and collected back there and run the offense and, really, just do the best I can for the team.”