3 NFL quarterbacks who must be benched after Week 12

New England can't rely on Bailey Zappe either

Bailey Zappe took over for Jones after halftime and the Patriots scored on his first drive to tie the game 7-7. From there, it was all downhill. He finished with 9-of-14 passes completed for 54 yards and one interception. He averaged 3.9 yards per attempt, which simply isn't enough in the NFL. Rhamondre Stevenson deserves credit for a big day on the ground, but New England's offense was otherwise impotent across the board.

Zappe has gotten a couple of bites at the apple now, and every time he's not good enough to firmly beat out Jones. The Patriots wouldn't keep sulking back to Jones every week if there was any tangible confidence in Zappe. In three appearances prior to Sunday, Zappe completed 10-of-25 passes for 104 yards, zero scores, and a pick. He was briefly successful last season — 2-0 in two starts with a 70.7 percent completion rate, five touchdowns and three interceptions — but that feels like a flash in the pan right about now.

There's a case to be made that the Patriots should give Zappe a full week of first-team reps before pulling the plug. Let him practice with the starters and open up the playbook a bit. It's difficult to enter midway through a game, often with a deficit because of your predecessor, and play effective, efficient quarterback. But... just don't count on Zappe performing meaningfully better than Jones, as low as the bar is.

New England had another option on the roster until Saturday when preseason standout Will Grier was waived. Maybe there's time to re-sign him to the practice squad and get him back in the mix. If not, the Patriots' third-string option is Malik Cunningham, who has spent the last several weeks focusing on wide receiver and special teams assignments. But, he was a five-year college quarterback at Louisville. That's his natural position. Maybe it's time to kick the tires and see what he can provide.