FOXBORO — One week late, maybe a loss too late, whatever.

Bill Belichick finally made the call.

Mac Jones out. Bailey Zappe in. The Patriots are moving on.

Zappe has taken the majority of reps in practice this week at quarterback, according to the Herald’s Doug Kyed, and is being prepared to start Sunday against the Chargers, per The Athletic.

Zappe was last seen trailing by three and handing the ball off on third-and-8 during the final seconds of the Pats’ last loss to the Giants; a scared decision Bill Belichick later claimed was aggressive despite its being obviously reactionary to playing a backup quarterback. Again, whatever.

Belichick is sitting Jones, a broken player, in favor of a worse passer whose confidence is intact. Zappe represents a bridge from the basement to wherever this treacherous season leads next. Now it’s time for fans to rally behind the change.

Not because Zappe’s necessarily earned your cheers or to settle a tired Mac-versus-Zappe debate or because he offers an appreciably better option than Jones. It’s for the rest of the team.

A defense holding opponents to 10 points or fewer in consecutive games deserves support. Veterans like Matthew Slater, a future Patriots Hall of Famer, are owed a chance – however slim it might be – to win at the end; something to keep them warm in the winter of their careers. Zappe has inspired meager hope in the locker room that a full workload in practice might allow him to give the Patriots just that.

“He looked good,” wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said Wednesday of Zappe’s debut practice as the starter. “Making throws, moving the chains.”

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The Patriots also rotated undrafted rookie quarterback/receiver Malik Cunningham under center at practice. Zappe said he would be open to splitting reps with Cunningham in a game.

“Malik’s a great player. He’s dynamic,” Zappe said. “He can play everywhere on the field.”

Don’t expect any of the coaches to expound on their plans for him Sunday, though. They can’t even name his position.

On Tuesday, wide receivers coach Troy Brown called Cunningham a quarterback. Then Belichick labeled him a receiver the next day. Cunningham has spent virtually the entire season on the practice squad as a receiver, save for Week 6 when he was Jones’ only available backup at quarterback.

So why was Cunningham good enough to play quarterback that week, but not since then? Ah, forget it.

But if Zappe stumbles soon as Jones did a week ago, punctuating a two-interception first half with a strip sack, put the kid in. The Patriots can run a handful of basic pass concepts and repackage them for Cunningham with different formations and motions to keep the defense off-balance.

Cunningham’s athleticism would also amplify the Pats’ lone offensive strength, a top-5 run game by EPA and success rate over the last half of the season. Even in a part-time role, Cunningham might already be the single quarterback on the roster who inspires teammates the most.

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“That’s a dangerous dude right there,” Smith-Schuster said. “He can do a lot of different things.”

Different is what the Patriots needed. There is no calvary coming. The end of this season feels as set as its 1-5 start.

But Sunday will at least feel different at kickoff; a flicker in the darkness that, sure, might go out as soon as the match is lit. For now, someone else dropping under center. That’s a welcome, needed change.

A picture of Jones and Zappe standing next to each other this week, both clad in practice jerseys with Zappe a step ahead, said everything. Jones’ performance the last few weeks has forced Belichick to bench him. It’s clear that message has been received.

10-4.