Why Patriots' Bailey Zappe doesn't feel vindicated after win

New England Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe shared during a Monday appearance on the WEEI "Jones and Mego with Arcand" program that he doesn't feel vindicated coming off a 21-18 win at the Pittsburgh Steelers considering he was cut this summer and later re-signed to the practice squad.

"I think there’s still a lot more things I can get better at and do better," Zappe explained, according to Mark Daniels of MassLive. "I think this week, we’ll try to do that. Looking back at these past few weeks, there are a lot of things we did good and didn’t do good. We’re just trying to take it week by week." 

Zappe reportedly wasn't given a real chance to win the starting job over 2021 first-round draft pick Mac Jones this past summer, in part because the 2022 fourth-round draft choice allegedly was not a great "fit" for the system run by offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. After head coach Bill Belichick pulled Jones from four of 11 games this season, Zappe started what became the Week 13 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Against Pittsburgh, Zappe completed 19-of-28 passes for 240 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. While Belichick hasn't yet confirmed who will start when 3-10 New England hosts the 8-5 Kansas City Chiefs this coming Sunday, it would be downright shocking if Zappe didn't get the nod for that matchup. 

"I just did what O’Brien coached me to do," Zappe added about his performance at Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium. "I did exactly the reads I was supposed to go through. There were things that I missed and things we went into film today wanting to fix going into this week. I don’t think there was anything I surprised him with." 

As of Monday afternoon, oddschecker listed the Patriots as 10-point underdogs against what will likely be an angry Chiefs team. With Jones seemingly a lost cause as it pertains to his New England tenure, Zappe should receive an opportunity to sink or swim as the club's QB1 through Week 18.