The New England Patriots are out of contention for a Super Bowl in the 2023 NFL season, but Bill Belichick isn't quite ready yet to decide on the team's starting quarterback in Week 15 versus the Kansas City Chiefs at home (via Zack Cox of NESN).

“He's done a good job of managing the team and taking care of the ball.” Bill Belichick likes what he's seen from Bailey Zappe, but the head coach still won't name a starter for this week's Chiefs game.

Zappe seems to have a strong case about why he deserves to get another start under center following a sparkling performance in Week 14's 21-18 road win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that appears to be not enough for him to be a slam dunk choice over Mac Jones in the eyes of Belichick.

Against the Steelers, Zappe gave the Patriots' offense a nice jolt. He went 19-for-28 for 240 passing yards and three touchdowns with only an interception. It is so rare to see New England have that kind of success offensively this season, especially when the team has Mac Jones orchestrating the attack. With Zappe in Week 14, the Patriots' offense looked a whole lot livelier, leading many to believe that he's the right man for the job at the moment.

The Patriots remain last in the league in scoring offense and one of the worst in total offense, as they are averaging just 13.0 points and 291.4 total yards per outing, but Zappe gave New England hope that it can be better on that side of the ball the rest of the season.