A couple of odd items on Malik Cunningham from Patriots' loss in Las Vegas

BOSTON -- With more and more people hopping off the Mac Jones train in New England, there was a lot of excitement in the region for the signing of Malik Cunningham to the active roster this weekend.

The undrafted dual-threat quarterback-turned-receiver and special teamer made his NFL debut on Sunday in Las Vegas, serving as the only active backup to Mac Jones. (Bailey Zappe was the emergency third quarterback, and Will Grier was inactive.) Cunningham's debut was ... less than eventful.

Cunningham took a snap at quarterback. With an option to hand the ball off, Cunningham kept the ball and tried to complete a pass. He never had a chance though, as he was quickly swarmed by several Raiders defenders. He took a sack for a loss of five yards.

Cunningham also took the field as a decoy on a direct snap to Ezekiel Elliott, running out wide to the left side. Elliott plowed into the end zone on the play.

Outside of that sack, though, Cunningham didn't register anything on the stat sheet.

After the game, which the Patriots lost 21-17, a couple of curious items about Cunningham came out.

Secret Warmups?

The Boston Herald's Doug Kyed asked Cunningham why he didn't throw any passes during pregame warmups. Cunningham said he warmed up his arm in the locker room, with the team trying to keep his throwing "as low-key as possible."

Presumably, this strategy aimed to make the Raiders believe that Cunningham would only enter the game as a rushing threat, and not as a passer. But ... it's not as if Cunningham is a wide receiver who's converting to quarterback. He's a quarterback who briefly converted to receiver before converting back to quarterback. He threw 1,105 passes in college. Every NFL team took a look at him before the draft last spring. They all know that he can physically throw a forward pass.

Having him warm up in secrecy feels like a case of the Patriots focusing on things that really don't matter. Cunningham getting swarmed on his lone pass attempt proved that it was all for nothing.

He's The Backup Because Of ... Injuries?

After the game, Kyed asked Bill Belichick a straightforward question: "What went into the decision to sign Malik Cunningham to the 53-man roster and make him your backup quarterback?"

Belichick's answer was also straightforward, even if it was a bit puzzling.

"We have a lot of people that are hurt," Belichick answered.

In the strictest sense, Cunningham did join the active roster to fill the spot of an injured player. Matthew Judon (who's been hurt for two weeks) and Tyrone Wheatley were placed on injured reserve on Saturday, opening spots for Cunningham and Tyquan Thornton, who was activated from IR.

Yet that doesn't answer the most basic question of why Belichick opted to make Cunningham the lone backup for Sunday's game.

It's a particularly relevant point, considering Mac Jones had been benched in each of the past two games. Certainly, if the Patriots had a viable backup option, it might have been three straight weeks of benchings for Jones after his interception on Sunday in Las Vegas.

No team really ever wants its backup quarterback to play, but Zappe has gotten somewhat of an extended run over the past two weeks. Neither he nor Grier are injured, so the answer from Belichick doesn't fully explain the Patriots' line of thinking -- especially when factoring in how much time Cunningham has spent learning new positions over the past six months for the Patriots.

The more direct answer would likely be that the Patriots aren't comfortable with their backup situation. That was obvious when they released both Zappe, Cunningham and Trace McSorley after the preseason, and it's been clear in the team's efforts in signing Grier, Ian Book, and Matt Corral during the season.

In that case, actions speak louder than words. Still, the words could have offered some more insight on Sunday.