The Zappe Train is barreling out the station after Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns, and no one can find the brakes. That's making things increasingly awkward for incumbent starting quarterback Mac Jones with every day that passes.
New England's newest rookie sensation lit up the Browns for 309 yards and two touchdowns through the air, looking improved even over his previous start against the Detroit Lions. In that time, the Patriots are 2-0 and have clawed their way back into the AFC playoff bubble at 3-3 overall.
So will the team go back to Jones when he's finally healthy, or is it Zappe SZN from here on out? Bill Belichick once again declined to say on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Monday morning.
"[Playing Mac Jones] wasn't an option yesterday. He wasn't active for the game, so there was really no option to play him," he said of Jones' status.
When asked if Zappe was competing to keep the job even if Jones returned healthy, Belichick showed a hint of annoyance: "It's every player's job to be ready to go. That's their job. Mac wasn't active yesterday, so there's nothing really to talk about."
Oh, but there is, and Belichick's not doing anything to quell the conversation.
Not only has Zappe outplayed his preseason outlook, albeit against two of the NFL's three worst defenses by DVOA in the Lions and Browns, respectively, but reports have buzzed that the Patriots are essentially sending Jones a message by refusing to endorse him as the starter upon his return: "Do things the way we want, or we'll play the guy that will."
Belichick appears to be wielding the uncertainty about the position with joy as Zappe continues to keep the offense moving in Jones' absence. Jones, meanwhile, pushed hard to play this week but reportedly realized Sunday he needed more time to heal, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.
Though Belichick has said Zappe's play and Jones' return are "independent" of one another, New England's staying afloat with Zappe could allow Jones to come back at closer to full strength than he otherwise might have.
A close-to-100-percent Jones is better than Zappe, and there's no reasonable scenario in which the Patriots actually bench their No. 15 overall pick from last year and seek to trade him this early on in his career.
But Zappe's play will have tongues wagging in Foxborough for the rest of the season regardless of what happens -- whether Belichick likes it or not.