The Patriots are now 3-3, having won their last two games with rookie Bailey Zappe starting at quarterback for the injured Mac Jones.
But every time head coach Bill Belichick has been asked about Jones remaining New England’s QB1 when he’s healthy, Belichick has deflected the question.
Belichick did so again during his Monday morning video conference with reporters.
“Well, we’ll see how that process is,” Belichick said, via NBCSportsBoston.com. “Mac still wasn’t able to play yesterday, so we’ll continue to evaluate him and see how he’s doing physically.”
Zappe has performed admirably in Jones and Brian Hoyer’s absence. The fourth-round pick has completed 73 percent of his passes for 596 yards with four touchdowns and an interception, good for a passer rating of 111.4.
That dwarfs the 76.2 passer rating Jones had in his three starts so far this season. But the Patriots were also playing the Dolphins, Steelers, and Ravens in the first three weeks of the season. Zappe came in for Hoyer during the loss to the Packers and has since faced lackluster defenses from Detroit and Cleveland.
Whether a motivation tactic from Belichick or something more, the head coach has made no guarantees about the QB position — other than saying Jones isn’t currently healthy. But it’s still fairly hard to see Zappe keeping Jones sidelined when last year’s No. 15 overall pick is 100 percent.
The Patriots play the Bears next Monday night.
