Bill Belichick subbed out Mac Jones for Bailey Zappe and it immediately paid off

It’s 2022, and it looks like Bill Belichick has found himself managing a quarterback controversy again. The more things change, the more … oh, you know the rest.

Monday night saw Mac Jones return against the Bears (+8.5) after spraining his ankle. Unfortunately for Jones (on an individual level), his backup, Bailey Zappe, happened to play well in his absence. And when Jones struggled early on — especially in a funny sequence with Jaquan Brisker — as Chicago amassed a 10-0 lead, Belichick revealed the cards in his hand and put Zappe in around the midway point of the third quarter.

It paid off almost immediately, with the young Zappe launching a dart and giving Jakobi Meyers a chance to make a play on a touchdown:

BAILEY ZAPPE THROWS A TOUCHDOWN PASS TO JAKOBI MEYERS!! pic.twitter.com/qoDqIrfFLg

— Brian Y (@byysports) October 25, 2022

Oh, my goodness. Talk about giving your team a spark.

If that weren’t enough, the Zappe-led Patriots would score another touchdown on back-to-back possessions.

10+ points in each of his last five games now.

Rhamondre Stevenson is on a ROLL. @dreeday32 pic.twitter.com/WHQTvaLbjT

— NFL Fantasy Football (@NFLFantasy) October 25, 2022

For what it’s worth, Jones was being a good teammate.

Love seeing this between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe after Zappe’s TD pic.twitter.com/WIhHyRtpJt

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 25, 2022

After watching how the Patriots responded once Zappe came into a night game, I’m not sure if Belichick has a quarterback controversy on his hands. I suppose we’ll see as this game (and the rest of the season) wear on.