Catch up with some of the latest news surrounding the New England Patriots as they prepare for their Week 13 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Keenan Allen dealing with an injury that could keep him sidelined against the Patriots
Although there hasn't been much to look forward to when the next Patriots game nears, one aspect of the upcoming Chargers game is the possibility of New England scraping out a win. They are currently considered 5-point underdogs, but LA played pretty terribly in their last game against the Ravens last week, providing a glimmer of hope for the fans who are not part of the tank brigade.
Things seemed to be working in the home team's favor, as reports about Keenan Allen dealing with a quad injury and missing back-to-back practices flooded the news cycle. It made such an impression that even Bill Belichick joked about being okay with the Chargers deciding to keep the receiver on the bench for their matchup.
"If they want to rest him this week, that would be all right with us. "
Fortunately, and unfortunately, depending on who you ask, Allen did return to practice on Friday and has been given a questionable designation for Sunday's game. Surely, they will do all they can to keep him in their lineup if possible, especially since he is their leading receiver this season, not just by a small amount.
Allen is already on pace to have the best season of his 11-year career, recording 97 receptions for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns through just 11 games so far. He has "85 more targets, 68 more catches, and 740 more receiving yards" than the rest of his offensive teammates, meaning his absence from the field would dramatically hurt Justin Herbert's effectiveness and benefit the Patriots' defense, who have already shown they can contain super productive players.
What his status will ultimately be for Sunday's game will probably not come until game time, but expect that he will be on the field no matter what.
Malik Cunningham expected to be elevated to the game day roster for Week 13
With the definitive certainty about who will be taking over quarterback duties for the Patriots moving forward, or at least for Week 13, there was an assumption that rookie Malik Cunningham would be brought up to the 53-man roster in some capacity this week.
Although we haven't seen much of him this year, and he's been said to be practicing more as a receiver, ESPN's Mike Reiss reported the Patriots plan to elevate him from the practice squad before the Chargers game and are likely to use him in various ways.
Since all signs point to Bailey Zappe likely getting his first start of 2023, it wouldn't be surprising to see Cunningham used more as a pass catcher, even more so since New England already announced that Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas would not be active for the game. He could also be used for any wildcat plays or if things get out of hand for Zappe.
Besides the apparent storylines that will come out of the game, mainly that of Mac Jones and what his benching could mean for his future, seeing how short of a leash Zappe is given and how they choose to use Cunningham will surely make headlines.
It would provide a bit of a silver lining if both are used adequately and perform well, given how little excitement the Patriots have given their fans this season. Hopefully, they can do just that.
Cleaning up my wording here: It is expected that QB/WR Malik Cunningham will be added to the game-day roster Sunday.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 1, 2023
(Not necessarily signing to the 53-man roster, as a standard practice-squad elevation is still available to the team). https://t.co/LWUyo5DvjV
Bill Belichick still won't reveal who the starting QB will be on Sunday, but praised Bailey Zappe
Because we are now just one day away from the Patriots' Week 13 matchup with the Chargers, and Bill Belichick remains tight-lipped about who will be the starting quarterback, it's starting to feel like it's a game for the head coach at this point to see how long he can keep it an actual secret.
Although he hasn't explicitly said that Mac Jones will be benched and Bailey Zappe will be under center on Sunday, all indications have pointed to that being the case, with many team reporters confirming the rumors in recent days.
Zappe's upbeat attitude when speaking to the media throughout the week and the noticeable shift in QB reps at practice, where he was seen getting the traditional QB1 reps, also made it clear a change was coming. Reporters attempted to get Belichick just to come out and say Zappe is who they're going with this week, but all they got out of him was some praise for how the second-year player looked in practice leading up to the game.
"He’s pretty consistent. It’s about what it’s been all year. He’s pretty even-keeled, not a lot of roller coaster with him."
It's pretty bland and vague compliments, but could it also have been a slight shot at Jones? The last part of his sentence, "He's pretty even-keeled, not a lot of roller coaster with him," seemed like it may have been a reference to Jones' erratic throws this season, but maybe that's looking too much into it.
Despite the praise, Belichick continued to push back at questions demanding an answer for who will be the quarterback on Sunday. He emphasized the importance of the preparation this week while reiterating any and all decisions about who will be playing can be made as late as Sunday morning.
"I think the preparation’s been good. We’ll see what happens on Sunday. That’s always the test. But they put in the time, preparation. I think everybody’s trying to do that across the board, every position, and we’ll see how it goes on Sunday."
Typically, hearing a head coach express their happiness with how practice has gone in the lead-up to a game is assuring for fans, but Belichick has said this often throughout the season, and the results haven't lived up to his words.
At this point, most are hoping for the team to tank the final six games to acquire a higher first-round draft pick, but if they look good in the process of losing, they'll be happy with that as well.