Patriots QB Bailey Zappe found out ‘the same time y’all did’ that Mac Jones was starting

Bailey Zappe deferred to Bill Belichick for most of the questions he was asked on Monday, following the Patriots‘ 33-14 loss to the Bears.

When he entered the game in dramatic fashion following Mac Jones’ early struggles, was he expecting to play the rest of the way?

“That’s something that’s for Coach Belichick,” Zappe said. “My job was to go in there and get the ball to my playmakers. I need to do a better job of that going into next week.”

What was his understanding of his role this week?

“Yeah, I think that is something, you know, for Coach Belichick,” Zappe said. “I prepared this week like I have every other week. I prepared as if I was going to play or not.”

The one thing Zappe did finally admit? That he found out Mac Jones was officially starting “about the same time y’all did.”. If that’s true, he found out a little before 6 p.m. — just over two hours before kickoff.

It’s noteworthy that when another reporter asked if he had taken any reps with the starting unit over the last week — and whether reps with the starting unit are necessary — Zappe started to say it was a question for Belichick, but stopped himself short.

“Moving on to the Jets, actually,” he corrected himself. “So getting ready for them.”

Zappe’s magical run finally hit its first speed bump on Monday, and it was a tooth-jarring one. Zappe entered the game after Jones struggled enormously in the first half, with chants of “Zap-pe! Zap-pe!” ringing through the stadium. The rookie immediately led a pair of touchdown drives, including one capped off by a 30-yard pass to Jakobi Meyers (Jones, to his credit, congratulated Zappe enthusiastically after both touchdowns).

But the wheels came off for Zappe too. He finished 14-for-22 as a passer with his lone touchdown pass and a pair of late interceptions that officially sealed the deal for the Bears.

“I have to do a better job of getting around defenders, finding lanes to get it to receivers,” Zappe said. “Of course, that’s something else that I continue to work on. So, I just have to get better finding lanes, getting around defenders, getting over top of them, around them, whatever it may be.”

Zappe might not get a chance to work on his passing lanes next week. Jones reportedly is expected to be back in the lineup when the Patriots take on the Jets at MetLife Stadium, and Bill Belichick insisted he would have sent Jones back into the game on Monday in the second half if the score hadn’t gotten out of hand.

Still, Zappe said he tries to make the most of practice, no matter the situation. This week, that might mean mental reps.

“You take mental reps whenever you’re not in” he said. “That’s another way that you can prepare throughout the week. It’s not all physical. So whenever you’re not in standing behind the quarterbacks taking mental reps, that’s another way you can do it throughout the week.”

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The post Patriots QB Bailey Zappe found out ‘the same time y’all did’ that Mac Jones was starting appeared first on Boston.com.