Quarterback isn’t exactly a strong point in an upcoming Thursday Night Football matchup between the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fresh off a 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Bailey Zappe will start for the 2-10 Patriots. Meanwhile, Mitchell Trubisky replaces an injured Kenny Pickett for a 7-4 Steelers squad jockeying for playoff positioning.
The Patriots added another insurance policy, elevating Malik Cunningham from the practice squad for Thursday night’s game.
Patriots elevate QB Malik Cunningham and RB Kevin Harris to the active roster: https://t.co/wZr1bfgJqD pic.twitter.com/5UEIwmyuOm
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 7, 2023
Cunningham made a brief NFL debut during Week 6’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, but he didn’t attempt a pass in six snaps. The 25-year-old undrafted rookie from Louisville was also elevated for last Sunday’s shutout.
With New England’s offensive reaching rock bottom, perhaps Bill Belichick will give Cunningham a chance this month.
The Patriots have wasted strong defensive performances by scoring a dismal 13 points over their last three games. In his first start over Mac Jones this season, Zappe completed 13 of 25 passes for 141 yards and five sacks.
New England ranks 28th in total offense while averaging an NFL-worst 12.3 points per game. Points likely won’t be bountiful against a Steelers team that generated 16.0 points per game before losing their starting quarterback to an ankle injury.
Thursday night’s matchup thus carries the lowest over/under line (30.5) in an NFL game since 2005. More than 80 percent of gamblers have still wagered the under on BetMGM.
Loyal fans, defensive enthusiasts, and degenerate gamblers can watch the Steelers and Patriots starting at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.