The New England Patriots are set to stick with Mac Jones at quarterback, with the returning star set to start on Monday after missing the last three games with an injury.
In his absence, rookie Bailey Zappe has been extremely impressive. He came into the game against the Green Bay Packers four weeks ago in his debut as he performed valiantly in a loss, before impressing in wins over the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.
The fourth-round pick from Western Kentucky had been the third-choice signal-caller coming into the season, but Jones and Hoyer's injuries saw him thrown in at the deep end with him passing all the tests thrown his way with flying colours.
But now, with Jones available to go, Bill Belichick has decided to stick with his former first-round draft pick, handing the keys back over to Jones in a decision which may seem somewhat harsh to Zappe.
The quarterback situation has been one that has reminded fans of one that happened some 21 years ago, back when a fresh-faced Tom Brady entered the league in his second year as a Patriot.
At the time, Drew Bledsoe had been the starting quarterback for the Patriots, as he performed at a high level being one of the better players at the position in the league. He would be rewarded with a 10-year, $103million (£91m) deal, but in the second game of the season he would suffer a horrific injury against the New York Jets and would be sidelined for a number of weeks.
Back-up Tom Brady entered in his place, and would mightily impress, with Belichick sticking with the second-year pro from Michigan - a decision that worked out pretty nicely for the Patriots as they would go on to win six Super Bowls in 19 seasons.
Belichick would have some interesting quotes on his decision back in 2001, which were eerily similar to those he made about the Jones-Zappe situation.
However, it looks like the Patriots head coach has decided to stick with Jones, choosing to ditch the decision he took in 2001 and going with the former Alabama quarterback. Patriots insider Jeff Howe has claimed: “Barring a setback, Patriots QB Mac Jones is expected to start (Monday) night against the Bears, per source."
NFL insider Ian Rapoport also reported that Jones took the first-team reps with the Patriots in their final session ahead of Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears.
The Patriots will be hoping for a win against the struggling Bears, with the Foxborough team needing to stick with their AFC East rivals, who all have a winning record whilst the Pats remain 3-3.
The Bears, meanwhile, have been one of the worst offenses so far this season with quarterback Justin Fields struggling mightily, sitting at 2-4 in the NFC North.
