For a second straight week, the New England Patriots will carry three quarterbacks on their roster with Bailey Zappe, Mac Jones and Malik Cunningham all being active for Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Zappe is expected to get the start, and it’s anyone’s guess how the depth chart will be positioned behind him. Will Cunningham see action under center, or will coach Bill Belichick trot Jones back onto the field at the first sign of serious trouble?
The biggest concern for the Patriots is the wide receiver position with veteran DeVante Parker being listed as out, along with rookies Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte. Things are uncomfortably thin for New England at wideout, and it could create real problems for the team against the Steelers.
It might even open the door for Cunningham to take reps at receiver instead of quarterback. Here’s the full list of inactives for both teams in the game:
Patriots inactives. pic.twitter.com/4lcmC0sNR4
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 7, 2023
Steelers inactives. pic.twitter.com/5aJb6WaIJe
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 7, 2023
The Patriots could be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss on Thursday night.
